Tamers: Stuck in Paradise
by Sid1
Summary: The Tamers meet the DigiDestined. And love gives the situation some weird twists... (many couples, one yuri) Finally completed! (Also check out Season 2!)
1. First contact, first bruises

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise  
Part 1  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  
I don't own Digimon 02 or Tamers. It would be cool, but life is cruel. ;)  
As you can imagine by now, this is a 02/Tamers Crossover.  
This Fic won't be completely cruel to poor Renamon, that's a promise.  
In my other Fics, she has already suffered more than enough. *sniff*  
And I'll try to give Lee and Takato (as well as Guilmon and Terriermon) a bit more screentime.  
A little bit more. Oh well, let's just see what'll happen ^_^  
  


* * *

  
_Just like a dream. It's so... surreal._ he tells himself.  
But Davis knows that it is really happening:  
DigiDestined all over the world have raised their DigiVices to help them against MaloMyotismon.  
The glowing DigiVices form a sharp contrast to the darkness MaloMyotismon has created.  
_We have to be strong now. Every DigiDestined anywhere has to help!_  
At this point in time, Davis doesn't know that his call for help will be answered.  
  

    
    (Let there be light.)

  


* * *

  
Renamon should be the happiest Digimon on the planet.  
Yesterday, she has digivolved to Kyuubimon. She has done it just for... her.  
For the girl who wouldn't even recognize Renamon as a living being.  
For Ruki Makino, Renamon is just a piece of data.  
At least that is what the girl is always saying. Renamon. however, believes in her Tamer.  
_She'll understand. The time will come._ she tells herself.  
But not now. Not during her training.  
Renamon sighs as Ruki commands her to do different combinations of kicks and punches.  
But something is different today.  
_Something is happening..._  
Renamon stops her current sequence and concentrates.  
"Are you waiting for better weather?" Ruki asks angrily.  
But the fox Digimon isn't paying her Tamer any attention.  
"Look." she simply says.  
"What the-" Ruki whispers, her voice trailing off.  
  
Lee and Takato are sitting on a bench in the park and watch their Digimon.  
"Isn't it strange?" Takato suddenly breaks the silence.  
"Hm?" Lee grunts, looking at the other boy.  
"They're playing like small children. But in the next minute, they can be wild beasts."  
Lee frowns and looks at Terriermon, remembering how his Champion form, Galgomon, almost shot Ruki.  
He also remembers how Guilmon and Renamon battled. The fight had almost ended quite messy.  
"Right. Sometimes I wish they wouldn't have to fight at all." Lee finally answers.  
"A place where they could simply enjoy life." Takato adds, smiling.  
"Where they wouldn't have to hide."  
The conversation comes to an end, when they see... it.  
  

    
    (And there was light.)

Renamon frowns when she sees Ruki march towards the strange light.  
The Digimon has seen many things, but this light almost scares her.  
_But Ruki knows what to do. Does she? Ruki?_ Renamon thinks and blinks.  
She sees her Tamer raise her D-Arc as she steps into the light.  
"Ruki!" Renamon shouts and jumps at the girl.  
The light seems to become brighter and brighter...  
  
"Uhhh... Takato? Takato?" Guilmon asks and waves a paw in front of Takato's face.  
The Dino Digimon looks at Terriermon and sees that his small friend is also confused.  
First this light has appeared, and now Takato and Lee were behaving funny.  
But until now, Takato has managed just fine. So Guilmon obediently follows his Tamer into the light.  
He turns around just in time to see Terriermon hop onto Lee's shoulder.  
The blue-haired boy is right behind Takato, slowly raising his D-Arc.  
  


* * *

  
The following minutes, Davis and the other DigiDestined stare at the sky in fascination.  
The whole DigiWorld witnesses the darkness shrinking back.  
MaloMyotismon has been defeated.  
"We made it." he whispers, not wanting to ruin this moment of peace.  
"Look there! Funny light above us!" somebody cheers.  
"Ruki! Snap out of it! We're in big big big trouble!" another voice, this one female, almost shouts.  
_Trouble?_ Davis asks himself and turns away from the scene in front of him.  
  
_Perfect! Just perfect!_ Renamon curses her luck.  
Here she is, surrounded by maybe a trillion Digimon, and her Tamer has decided to do sky-watching.  
Until now, all of the Digimon and their Tamers have been doing the same.  
But Guilmon's (and her) comments have distracted one of the humans.  
Renamon knows that this situation calls for Ruki. So she flexes her claws.  
"I'm really sorry, Ruki." she whsipers as she pinches her Tamer's arm.  
  
"OW! ARE YOU INSANE?"  
That scream got everybody's attention.  
Davis sees that his friends are turning to face the group of DigiDestined some meters away.  
The scream also got the attention of their Digimon.  
"Who're they?" Veemon asks.  
He had joined them as soon Imperialdramon wasn't needed anymore.  
Davis just shrugs.  
  
Renamon would pay. Dearly.  
Her mind is clouded with anger as she rubs her bruised arm.  
But even in her state of mind Ruki realizes that something is wrong.  
"Where are we?" she finally asks.  
"Surrounded." Renamon answers flatly.  
Now Ruki can also see the other Digimon and Tamers staring at the sky.  
She also sees a group of 6 Tamers with their Digimon who are looking at them.  
Them...?  
Finally Ruki notices Takato and Lee. And their... pets.  
"Maybe we should act... diplomatically?" Renamon suggests.  
"What are you? A fox or a chicken?" Ruki asks with a toothy grin.  
"Oh boy." Renamon sighs and flexes her claws again.  
  
"Tamers! I challenge you!" the unknown girl shouts at them.  
Kari frowns and looka at T.K.  
"Tamers?" they ask each other in unison.  
"You may have trapped us here, but we won't give up!" the girl shouts.  
Kari can see the two boys in the other group frown.  
But they don't do anything.  
"Why does she want to fight?" T.K. asks Kari.  
Kari just shrugs and raises her voice to address the girl.  
"We don't have to fight!" she shouts.  
To Kari's suprise, the girl laughs. But it's a mocking laugh.  
"So you're another Tamer who refuses a good fight?" the girl finally shouts.  
Behind the girls back, the two boys hit their foreheads with their palms.  
"I guess she won't stop until we fight her." Gatomon observes behind Kari's back.  
"You're probably right. But the time for fighting-" the DigiDestined of Light starts to say.  
"-may be now. Could I please test something?" Gatomon interrupts her.  
She turns around to face her Digimon and gasps.  
"Where did you get-" she whispers.  
"Gennai gave it to me a minute ago. And I feel my old strength returning."  
Gatomon gives her partner a grin while toying with her Holy Ring.  
  
"Finally." Ruki mutters.  
A single Digimon has stepped forward.  
Renamon, Guilmon and Terriermon scan the Digimon quickly.  
On all three D-Arcs, the picture and data of Gatomon appear.  
"Just a Champion. Perfect. After you defeat her, tell them to back off."  
Renamon rolls her eyes and mutters something under her breath.  
"Pardon me?"  
"That is not the kind of diplomacy I had in mind." Renamon repeats her words louder.  
"You're just a Digimon, so leave the planning to me." Ruki whispers.  
She sees Renamon's pained expression, but her Digimon doesn't reply.  
Instead the yellow fox also walks several meters forwards.  
  
"Remember, Gatomon. No killing, just try to stop it." Kari tells her Digimon.  
"Don't worry, it's just a Rookie." Gatomon answers calmly.  
Her Holy Ring is at its old place at her tail.  
"What's that ring for?" Davis asks Kari.  
"It's Gatomon's Holy Ring. It gives her her old strength back."  
"Excuse me, but Gatomon has been pretty stroing already." Veemon protests.  
Kari gives the Reptile Digimon a broad grin.  
  
_I bet Ruki is doing this to make me pay for the arm-pinching._  
Renamon already sees the armies of other Digimon charge at her after her victory over Gatomon.  
But first she has to beat that cat.  
After some harmless moves, Renamon is surprised that her enemy is so quick.  
_Wow, I have battled a Gatomon before, but this one is much stronger._  
She decides to try a charging attack, even though she knows that she has forgotten something.  
Five meters.  
Gatomon seems to relax.  
Three meters.  
The cat smiles.  
One meter.  
"Cat's eye!"  
_NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_  
Renamon curses her carelessness while desperately trying to move a muscle.  
The cat's eyes are glowing like rubies.  
"My my my. Did someone around here underestimate me?" Gatomon asks innocently.  
_Move! Move! MOVE!_  
But it's no use. Now Renamon hopes that Ruki has payed some attention.  
The confused look on the face of Gatomon's Tamer tells her the whole story.  
  
_It's a pity. Really. I would have enjoyed this fight._ Gatomon thinks.  
Her enemy is trapped right in front of her, paralysed in her mental grip.  
"Card Slash! Alias!"  
Gatomon recognizes the voice as that of Renamon's DigiDestined.  
She braces herself for some kind of attack. But nothing happens.  
After a second, Gatomon decides to tease the Rookie Digimon some more.  
"Having fun?" she asks, grinning.  
The Digimon in front of her doesn't reply. How could she?  
Still...  
_Hm. Strange. She doesn't even try to break free anymore. And her fur isn't moving._  
Gatomon frowns.  
Her eyes widen when she feels three pointy claws at her neck.  
At the same time, the (fake) Renamon vanishes.  
  
T.K. and Davis step away from Kari when they hear the low growl coming from her throat.  
They had seen the unbelievable stunt the Digimon had performed.  
Luckily, Renamon had stopped her attack just at Gatomon's neck.  
The bigger Digimon acted more like a teacher, toying with the Champion.  
A quick glance at Kari tells T.K. that this fight would be ended the messy way.  
"So, little girl. Thought you were the only one who has some tricks ready?"  
"Kari, it's only a Rookie. Give Gatomon some-" T.K. starts to protest.  
"Digi-Armor energize!"  
"-time... Oh brother."  
  
Renamon's eyes widen as Gatomon digivolves to Nefertimon.  
"What level is this?" she asks herself.  
She quickly decides that this must be a level between Champion and Ultimate.  
_Stop daydreaming! You need some help!_  
"Ruki!" she shouts, hoping that her Tamer would do something.  
She barely manages to jump out of the way of the flying Nefertimon.  
"Rosetta Stone!"  
So far, Renamon could avoid being hit by the laser-like attack.  
But she really doesn't want to stretch her luck anymore.  
"RUKI!"  
Nefertimon is flying a large circle, obviously preparing another dive.  
  
"Ruki!"  
"Why doesn't she use her attack?" Ruki asks herself.  
"I think she doesn't want to kill that Digimon." Lee comments.  
"Are you insane? Then what am I supposed to do?"  
"RUKI!"  
"Do something to stop it without killing it!" Takato yells.  
Ruki thinks for a moment, then nods.  
"Card Slash! Gatomon!" she finally shouts, slashing a card.  
  
_OK Foxy, you asked for it. I'll try to hurt you just a little bit._  
Nefertimon is flying straight at Renamon, trying to aim at the Digimon's feet.  
"Rosetta-"  
"Cat's eye!" Renamon suddenly shouts, grinning.  
And Nefertimon suddenly gets a taste of her own medicine.  
  
"Damn!"  
Five pairs of eyes widen. Kari has never used swear words before.  
_On the other hand, her Digimon has never been caught with her own attack._ Ken muses.  
He should know; he had been one of the biggest enemies of the DigiDestined.  
But this is Gatomon's fight. So Ken just frowns and watches.  
Nefertimon seems to struggle for control, but so far it doesn't help.  
Then, finally, something is happening.  
"Queeeeen's.... Cuuuuurse!" Nefertimon shouts, her words stretching as if played back in slow motion.  
Fortunately, her attack strikes with normal speed.  
The ancient piece of rock hits the surprised Renamon straight in the face, knocking her out.  
Nefertimon lands on the ground, freed from the effect of the Cat's Eye.  
However, it had cost her all of her strength to break free, so she de-digivolves back to Gatomon.  
Kari and the other girl run towards their respective Digimon.  
_Let's just hope that this draw will end the fighting for today._  
  
"Whoa." Takato mutters as he and Lee are running towards the fallen Renamon.  
Ruki is already there and argues with the other girl.  
"You wanted this fight!" the other girl shouts.  
"But you surrounded us!"  
"We were fighting MaloMyotismon!"  
"You need a whole army of Digimon to do that?"  
Lee sighs and places himself between the two girls.  
"Whoa! Time-out!" he shouts, amazingly silencing both girls.  
"He's right. I think all of us have a lot to talk about." Takato adds.  
"Just my thoughts. And I'd like to ask the first question: Where are we?"  



	2. Facing the problems, facing the real wor...

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise  
Part 2  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
"I guess it's safe to join them now, right?" Ken asks, slowly starting to move.  
"Let's put it this way: We won't be completely safe while they can still see us."  
T.K. grins and shakes his head about Davis' remark.  
_Who would've known? Davis does have some sense..._ he tells himself.  
"Davis, you're an idiot. Try to understand poor Kari." Yolei tells him while they're walking.  
"Well, he's not completely wrong." Hawkmon mumbles.  
"What was that?" Yolei shouts, staring at her Digimon partner.  
"Well, I'll be gone once this Rookie on steroids wakes up again." the bird Digimon replies.  
"You wouldn't want me to fight this... Digimon, would you?" Patamon asks with wide eyes.  
"Pah. I bet Veemon could take care of-" Davis starts to brag.  
"ARE YOU NUTS?" the little blue reptile yells.  
"Well, I guess Paildramon would stand a good chance..." Ken muses.  
"Paildramon is an Ultimate Digimon. That one's just a Rookie." Cody reminds him.  
"By the way: I wouldn't place any bets on DNA Digivolutions." T.K. tells them.  
"What are you talking about?" Yolei asks, concern showing on her face.  
"Gennai told Gatomon that her Ring was the key to DNA Digivolutions. Now that she has it back..."  
"Oh. I see. But maybe ExVeemon could-"  
"Davis! Don't even think of it!" Veemon quickly interrupts his partner.  
By now the group has reched the place where the two Digimon have fallen.  
A blue-haired boy and a brown-haired one have turned the potential war into a discussion.  
A discussion that ends abruptly when they join the group.  
"Oh my God. Not another one!" the red-haired girl shouts, pointing at Davis.  
The blue-haired boy and his Digimon, a Terriermon instantly start to snicker.  
The brown-haired boy looks annoyed, while his Digimon-  
_What a beast! Is that a Rookie? Must be half as big as as Greymon!_  
-looks confused.  
T.K. suddenly grins when he sees the connection the girl is seeing.  
_Yet another goggle-boy._  
By now the others start giggling, too. T.K. is happy to see that Kari is also smiling.  
Only Davis doesn't get the hidden joke.  
"What? Is there something funny? I don't get it!"  
"God, are all goggle-heads such brain-dead morons?" the girl with the broken-heart shirt yells.  
"Hey, I'm not a moron!" Davis poorly tries to defend himself.  
  
T.K. sighs and steps forward.  
"I guess this will be easier with some names." he says and quickly introduces the DigiDestined.  
The blue-haired boy smiles and nods.  
"You're right. I'm Lee, this is Ruki, and his name here is Takato."  
"Good. Now, I'd like to hear why you-" T.K. says.  
Ruki has looked at him, then at Patamon. Suddenly she rolls her eyes and groans.  
"What?" T.K. asks her, waving with his arms.  
"Let me guess: You're also one of those Digi-Pet-Types, right?" Ruki asks.  
T.K. looks at his firends in confusion.  
"She means that you treat your Digimon like a friend." Lee helps out.  
"What's wrong with that?" T.K. asks Ruki.  
"Pah. Your Digimon will never be any good in this weak state."  
Davis chosses this moment to join the discussion.  
With the fallen Renamon between him and the sitting Ruki he bows down to her.  
"Yeah, right. Says the girl with the unconscious Digi-URKS"  
Davis' comment is interrupted by a three-fingered, gloved paw grabbing his throat.  
All DigiDestined (and their Digimon) (except for Davis) jump slightly.  
None of them had seen Renamon's arm move.  
Slowly, the not-so-unconscious Renamon sits up, staring at the boy in her grip.  
She brings his face to her level and stares him directly into his eyes.  
"Never - mock - my - Ruki. Got that?" she slowly asks him.  
With pure horror showing in his eyes, the boy gives the Digimon a thumb-up sign, not daring to move his head.  
After another long second, Renamon releases Davis, who instantly starts to gasp.  
"Oh. So you're awake." Ruki simply comments.  
_Boy, she's as cold as ice. She doesn't even ask if Renamon is OK or something like that..._  
Obviously Renamon is used to this kind of treatment, since she just nods and gets up.  
"You all right?" the red huge dino Digimon asks Renamon, moving closer.  
"Of course I am. I'm no weakling, you know?" Renamon answers coldly, staring at the dino.  
"OK, let's have the welcome party later. We still don't know where we are." Lee interrupts them.  
The DigiDestined suddenly smile.  
"You're in the DigiWorld, of course." Kari tells him.  
Renamon whirls around to face the girl. T.K. is instantly ready to jump, should the Digimon try to attack.  
But nothing of that kind happens.  
"This can't be the DigiWorld." Renamon states with a frown.  
"Why not DigiWorld?" the still-unknown Dino asks.  
Renamon sighs.  
"Right. You can't know. If you had been born here, you'd know that it simply... doesn't feel right."  
"Well, I don't know if it's your DigiWorld, but it sure is ours." Ken says.  
Then he realizes what he just said.  
"What does all of that mean?" Takato finally asks.  
Ruki stares at Renamon and gulps.  
"Renamon. How do we get back?" she asks, her voice barely more than a whisper.  
The yellow fox-like Digimon just frowns.  
"How do we get back?" Ruki repeats the question.  
"I don't even know how we could return from 'my' DigiWorld."  
"That would mean that we are-" the little Terriermon starts to say.  
"-lost." Renamon finishes the sentence.  
  
The silence that follow this word seems to last forever.  
"What about... our parents?" Takato slowly asks, fighting back his tears.  
"Gone." Ruki whispers, her eyes fixed on something a million miles away.  
"But... there must be a way back. Right, Renamon?" Lee asks, trying to cheer his friends up.  
"Why are you asking me? Do I look omniscient?" the Digimon snaps at him furiously, startling the boy.  
Then she seems to regret her words and simply hugs Ruki, who instantly bursts into tears.  
"It'll be all right, Heartbreaker. We still have each other." she whispers at the girl.  
"It's... my fault. I just walked into the light without even thinking!" the girl sobs.  
"Shhh. It's not your fault. You couldn't have known."  
"Takato. Why everybody unhappy?" the dino Digimon asks.  
"I'll explain it later, Guilmon." Takato just answers, petting the Digimon's head.  
Lee seems to be lost in thought, and Terriermon simply watches his partner.  
T.K. jumps slightly when Kari tips his shoulder.  
"Isn't there something familiar in this scenario?" she whispers into his ear.  
T.K. slaps his fore head when he realizes what she is hinting at.  
"Of course! That's just like our first trip to the DigiWorld!" he shouts, startling everybody.  
"Hm? what are you talking about, T.K.?" Lee asks, cocking his head.  
"A couple of years ago, some friends and I landed here, too."  
And so, T.K. quickly tells the three kids the story of their adventures in the Digital World.  
"So in the end, everything worked out just fine." he finishes his story.  
"So your advice is to wander around until we meet an evil Digimon with ambitions to conquer our world?"  
T.K.'s chin drops while he tries to answer Ruki's sarcastical question.  
Fortunately, somebody else saves the situation.  
"Oh, making new friends already?"  
Everybody turns to face the newcomer.  
"Izzy! Perfect timing!" Kari shouts and briefly hugs the DigiDestined.  
"Whoa, I could get used to that kind of greeting." the older boy says and smiles.  
"Don't get too used to it." T.K. says, smiling himself (at Kari).  
"Hey, you don't stand a chance against-" Davis starts to protest, but is silenced by Lee's polite cough.  
T.K. quickly tells Izzy what's going on.  
The brain of the 'old' DigiDestined whistles as he realizes the size of the problem.  
"I'd have to contact Gennai. But the whole work could take some days." he finally says.  
"And what are we supposed to do in the meantime?" Takato asks.  
"Wander around without aim?" Guilmon proposes.  
That innocent comment made everybody smile again.  
"I think we can think of someplace more... comfortable." Kari answers, holding up her D3.  
"Right! Come on!" Yolei shouts enthusiastically.  
Lee frowns and looks at Ruki, who shrugs in return.  
_Yeah. What other choice do we have?_ he thinks as they follow the group.  
  
The fourteen kids and their Digimon appear in the computer room of the school.  
Some of the Digimon are lying on top of each other since there isn't enough space for everybody to stand.  
"Get off me or else!" Renamon groans and pushes Armadillomon off her back.  
After a while, the Digimon have found some space to stand in.  
All of a sudden, the door to the room opens!  
Kari gasps when she sees one of her teachers standing in the corridor, having a worried look on his face.  
_Strange. How can he see the Digimon from there?_ she asks herself.  
"What are you doing here? Come on, the alarm isn't over yet!" the teacher shouts.  
When he sees fourteen blank faces, he looks even more worried.  
"The news are full of it! There are monsters all over the planet! And they're helping us! It's-"  
"What monsters?" Guilmon asks innocently, stepping towards the teacher.  
_Here we go..._ Kari thinks and braces for the teacher's reaction.  
When he is still standing after five whole seconds, she starts to worry herself.  
"Awesome." he mutters, staring at Guilmon.  
Then he notices the other Digimon.  
"You... you are those kids who... saved the world?" he finally asks them.  
Kari and her friends blush since they have never seen it that way.  
After a while, another teacher runs past their room and skids to a full stop.  
"What are you doing..." the new teacher starts to shout.  
Then he sees the Digimon.  
  
Gatomon is speechless. Until now, she thought she had seen everything.  
But she had never been surrounded by so many humans.  
At least not by humans who knew that she could talk and save the world and stuff.  
The news about the children who had saved the world had spread like a fire.  
The cat Digimon has spotted at least one TV team so far.  
Somehow, though, she liked it better when she had some privacy.  
Now she feels almost like a famous Hollywood star or something like that.  
She is quite relieved when Kari bows down to her.  
But the girl looks worried, and that alone is reason enough for Gatomon to start worrying, too.  
"What's up?" she asks her human partner.  
"Have you seen Ruki and her Digimon lately?" the girl asks in a quiet tone.  
"Well, they're not down here and my field of view is... limited." the cat answers.  
"Please do me a favour and find Ruki. This must be really hard for her."  
Gatomon instantly nods, then frowns.  
"How're Lee and Takato doing?" she asks Kari.  
"They're playing along. But we really need to find a quiet place soon."  
The Digimon nods again and hushes through the jungle of legs.  
_I hope they're all right. This certainly isn't the best way to deal with her loss._  
By now, she has reached the edge of the crowd. Nobody pays the small Digimon any attention.  
The bigger Digimon are the center of attention right now.  
Gatomon quickly looks over her shoulder to make sure that Ruki and Renamon aren't in there.  
_Nonsense. Kari wouldn't have called me if they were in there._  
So the cat quietly hushes through the corridors of the school building.  
_What if they've run away? This girl certainly looked cool enough to be a loner._  
When her sensitive ears pick up a muffled sob, she slows down.  
She turns around a corner and immediately sees the source of the sounds.  
Ruki is kneeling in the middle of the corridor, her back turned twoards Gatomon.  
The girl's head leans against Renamon's shoulder, with the Digimon kneeling in front of Ruki.  
Renamon gently strokes the girl's back and whispers something into her ear.  
Finally Renamon notices Gatomon's presence.  
Never stopping her stroking and whispering, Renamon stares at Gatomon.  
But instead of hate or rage, the cat Digimon sees pure sorrow in the fox's eyes.  
Not wanting to disturb them any more, Gatomon just nods and sneaks away again.  
  
After long hours, the crowd finally left them alone, only to be replaced by the worried parents.  
That must have been the hardest part for Takato and Lee. Ruki hadn't joined them yet.  
_Guess it's better that way. It might have broken her heart to see all of this._ Gatomon muses.  
The parents of the 'old' DigiDestined didn't look too surprised about this whole thing.  
Well, they had known about the existence of Digimon for some years now.  
It had been a small wonder that they hadn't recognized Gatomon and Patamon earlier.  
On the other hand, three years can be quite a long time.  
Ken's parents are the most happy couple since their son had been missing before.  
Finally the parents realize that Lee and Takato look quite lost and listen to their story.  
"And where will you live until you get back home?" Mrs. Kamiya asks them.  
There is a long silence after that question since nobody had thought about that part yet.  
"Well, we have a free room." Ken's father offers.  
"I have plenty of space, so I could offer Takato and his big friend a room." Cody's Grandfather happily says.  
"And I guess we could house the girl you have talked about." Kari's mother tells her daughter.  
Gatomon snickers when Kari blanches.  
"That would be a great idea. But we have to ask Ruki, too." Gatomon quickly answers.  
Kari just stares at her smiling Digimon.  
"We're pleased by your offer." Renamon's voice cuts off any protest Kari might have raised.  
Everybody turns to see the Digimon walking towards them. Ruki is next to her, looking exhausted but confident.  
Gatomon, having an eye for body language and such details, notices that Renamon is supporting the girl.  
But Ruki looks as arrogant as ever, not willing to show any sign of weakness.  
"Perfect. Now come on, it has been quite a long day." Mrs. Kamiya happily shouts.  
Everybody nods and starts to leave the school building.  
Only Kari stays a bit behind the group to talk to Gatomon.  
  
"All right. What're you up to?" the girl asks, her voice barely a whisper.  
"I'm not up to anything." Gatomon replies.  
"Then why're you actually inviting this Ice Queen to live-"  
"Stop calling her that." Gatomon hisses, her eyes becoming slits.  
Kari raises an eyebrow when she notices how serious the Digimon suddenly is.  
"O...kay. Sorry. But please promise me not to start any fights."  
"Don't worry. I don't think that anybody's in the mood right now."  
And with these words, Gatomon joins the group again.  
_Something has happened. Gatomon has been so quiet after I send her to look for Ruki._  
Kari tries to imagine what her Digimon could have seen.  
_I'll have to ask her tonight. Maybe this Ruki isn't as bad as she behaves._  
Nodding, Kari runs a few steps to catch up with the rest.  



	3. Everything changes, doesn't it?

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise  
Part 3  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
Renamon kneels next to the bed Ruki is sleeping in.  
It has taken quite a while until the girl finally fell asleep.  
_You're not alone Ruki. I'll be there for you._  
That's what she had told her Tamer in the school corridor.  
It had been the first time ever that Renamon had seen Ruki cry.  
She shakes her head, watching her Tamer in her bed.  
The room is dark, but Renamon's night sight is good enough for her too see the girl.  
The Kamiya's had had enough sense to leave Ruki alone for the evening.  
Renamon had thanked them for that while Ruki had been in the bathroom.  
Maybe tomorrow, things would be better. Maybe-  
Renamon's head jerks up in alarm.  
_Something's not right. I can smell somebody standing at the door._  
She had always been proud of her sharp senses.  
Not wanting to wake her girl right now, Renamon quietly fades out of the room.  
Then she fades in in the Kamiya's main corridor, right behind-  
  
Gatomon stares at the door to the Kamiya's guestroom.  
Kari has fallen asleep hours ago, but Gatomon somehow couldn't sleep.  
Every time she closed her eyes, she recallled the fight today.  
Not the one against MaloMyotismon, but the one against the Rookie Digimon.  
At the end of the fight, Gatomon had been the one who was still able to stand.  
But somehow it didn't feel like a victory. Something has been wrong.  
"What're you doing here?" a low female voice asks her.  
Gatomon whirls around and sees that Renamon is standing right behind her.  
_What the- How did- Why didn't I-_  
Before she can mouth any of these questions, Renamon motions her to be quiet.  
"She has just fallen asleep." Renamon tells her.  
Gatomon nods and the two Digimon enter the living room.  
The fox stands patiently and waits until the cat Digimon has taken a seat before she sits down herself.  
For a long minute, Gatomon just watches Renamon. Then she sighs.  
"It's about our fight today." she finally admits.  
"I thought so." Renamon calmly replies, cocking her head.  
"You didn't go for the kill. And I saw the surprise on the girl's face about that." Gatomon states.  
The fox just nods grimly.  
"She isn't really that mean, is she?"  
"No. Ruki... is just Ruki. This is her way. Keeping her feelings deep down and stuff."  
Renamon sighs and Gatomon almost regrets her question. Still, the fox continues.  
"In our world, she has no friends. Even Takato and Lee get treated like lower life-forms."  
The yellow fox laughs shortly, then frowns.  
"Her only real flaw is the way she thinks of us Digimon."  
Gatomon's eyes widen when she hears that.  
"For her, Digimon are just soulless pieces of data. Including me."  
At that point, Renamon's voice turns into a sob.  
"I'm sorry." Gatomon whispers.  
"She'll learn. I know she will." Renamon manages to say between her sobs.  
Just as Gatomon wants to say something, she hears a door opening.  
Her head whirls around and she sees Kari come out of her room.  
_Not now, Kari! Please!_  
But her human partner stares at her and blinks.  
"What're you doing there, Gatomon?" she asks with a sleepy voice.  
"Oh, I was just talking to-" Gatomon stammers, waving at Renamon.  
Or rather, the space Renamon had just occupied.  
The cat Digimon blinks as she quickly scans the whole room. But Renamon has disappeared.  
"Who were you talking to?" Kari asks, not having seen the other Digimon.  
"Uhhh... nobody. Just been talking to myself." Gatomon picks the easiest way out.  
  
Gatomon didn't sleep very well after the short meeting with Renamon.  
The next morning, the cat has woken by Kari, something that didn't happen too often.  
In the kitchen they meet Ruki and Renamon. Both are standing in one corner, talking.  
The table is already laid, and there are four plates with pancakes.  
Kari instantly frowns, staring at the pancakes.  
"What." Ruki flatly asks.  
"Uhhh... I should warn you, my mother has a very... unique way of cooking." Kari tells them.  
"Your parents have left quite early today with Tai." Ruki tells her, sitting down at the table.  
"Then who made those pancakes? They're still warm." Gatomon asks, sitting down, too.  
"I did." Renamon simply says, making Kari and Gatomon gasp.  
Gatomon frowns, but tries one of the pancakes. Her eyes widen.  
"Wow! They're great!" she mumbles, making the group laugh.  
Suddenly, Renamon tips Gatomon's shoulder.  
"By they way, what are those two humans doing on the roof over there?" she asks.  
While Kari and Ruki have their backs to the kitchen window, Renamon and Gatomon are facing it.  
When the two girls start to move, Renamon quickly shakes her head.  
So only Gatomon looks out.  
"I've never seen people on that roof before." Gatomon whispers.  
"What are they doing?" Ruki asks, cocking her head.  
"One of them is watching us with binoculars. The other one is doing nothing." Gatomon tells them.  
"And they're staring right at us?" Kari asks, obviously feeling uncomfortable.  
Renamon just nods.  
"I bet its because of the Digimon." Kari states.  
"Renamon. Ask them." Ruki simply orders.  
"Can't I finish breakfast first?" Renamon begs, obviously making a show.  
Ruki sighs dramatically, but smiles while doing it.  
"Oh, all right." Renamon finally says, standing up from the table.  
Then she takes her plate and moves into the corridor.  
_Is she going to eat the pancakes on her way to-_ Gatomon asks herself, munching another pancake.  
Then she almost coughs the pancake out when she turns her eyes towards the roof again.  
Renamon is standing right behind the two men with the plate of pancakes.  
The humans haven't even noticed her yet.  
  
"So, what're they doing now?" Spectre 2 asks, trying to see something.  
"Just talking. Subject Two still away." Spectre 1 says, staring into the kitchen with his binoculars.  
"This is wrong. Those critters are heroes, we shouldn't be spying on them." Spectre 2 says.  
"Yeah. Besides, watching them eat those pancakes makes me hungry."  
"Dito here. What I would give for a pancake right now..."  
"How 'bout some answers?" a low female voice asks them.  
Spectre 2, having knelt until now, whirls around to face the intruder.  
"Holy-" he cries, almost falling off the roof.  
By now Spectre 1 has managed to get to his feet, too.  
He turns around to face-  
"What're YOU doing here?" he shouts when he sees Subject Two standing right behind them.  
"I could ask you the same thing. Pancake, anybody?" the yellow humanoid fox asks them with a smile.  
  
"So they've been assigned to keep an eye an you and Gatomon?" Ruki asks.  
Renamon just nods grimly.  
"Don't tell me you're still mad because I didn't leave you any pancakes."  
Again she receives a grim nod.  
"I'm hungry." she finally wails, making Gatomon snicker.  
Ruki just rolls her eyes.  
"Well, it's your fault. You didn't have to give the men yours."  
The men are still on their assigned positions, although they're not trying to hide anymore.  
"I guess they'll go away after a while." Kari hopes.  
"Guess so. The Government must be nervous." Ruki adds.  
"Right. Now that the world knows of the Digimon, everything will change."  
Everybody nods at that remark. Just then, Ruki checks her watch.  
"Tsk. We're late." she tells herself.  
She notices Renamon's ears flicker and smiles.  
"Late? For what?" Kari asks innocently.  
"Training." Renamon groans.  
"Training for what? There is no threat to either world." Gatomon points out.  
"Well, this place may be safe. But our world isn't. And I'm not planning to stay here for long." Ruki answers.  
Kari nods, understanding her point of view.  
"Can we come with you?" Gatomon suddenly asks, startling both Ruki and Kari.  
"Why not?" Renamon answers with a smile.  
"And who made you the boss?" Ruki asks fiercly.  
Renamon sighs and gently drags Ruki away from the others.  
"Ruki. Why don't you drop your Ice Queen image for a while? Have a little fun and stuff?" she whispers.  
Ruki stares at her Digimon for long seconds.  
"Are you serious?" she finally whispers back.  
"Sure. Like a trip to an amusement park. Let the Ice Queen rest in our world."  
Just then, Renamon softly embraces Ruki.  
_Great. In front of Kari and the cat. But maybe Renamon is right. I could use a vacation._  
Smiling, she hugs Renamon back.  
"We're still going to train now." she suddenly whispers Ruki chuckles when she hears Renamon curse softly.  
  


* * *

  
Notes:  
I know both Renamon and Ruki are quite out of character.  
I'll try to balance them more in the next part.  
There will definately be more of Lee and Terriermon next time, too.  



	4. Fun in the park

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise  
Part 4  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  
Notes:  
Yes, very OOC, I know. But I wanted the cast to have some fun, too. ;)  
The card names I use are based on the names I have read in other fics.  
I have to rely on that since I haven't seen the US translation.  
  


* * *

  
_Renamon was right. This is not too bad._ Ruki thinks and smiles.  
She enjoys the looks she gets from people walking past them as they are approaching the park.  
Or rather, the looks Renamon gets. The fox Digimon is towering next to her and is also smiling.  
For Renamon, this is the first time that people actually see her.  
"The park is just around the corner." Kari says, yanking Ruki out of her thoughts.  
Ruki simply nods. In her world, this should be the park Guilmon hides in.  
Her estimation is (of course) correct. The park even looks the same way.  
Ruki blinks when she notices Renamon snarling quietly.  
Before she has a chance to look for the potential threat, Gatomon defuses the situation.  
"Look! Hawkmon's also enjoying his new freedom." the cat Digimon announces, pointing skywards.  
Everybody looks up to see Hawkmon flying high above the park.  
Ruki sighs as Renamon relaxes slightly. She would have liked a good fight right now.  
But it wasn't very likely to find a Digital Field in this world.  
  
It doesn't take Ruki long to find a training ground for Renamon.  
A simple grass-plot serves the Digimon's needs perfectly.  
Over the months, Renamon has developed her own training routine, so Ruki doesn't have to do much.  
While her Digimon slowly starts with some high kicks, Ruki, Kari and Gatomon sit down under a tree.  
After some moments, Yolei and Hawkmon join the girls.  
"Hey, so Hawkmon has been right after all!" the older girl greets them.  
"Of course I have been right. Ever heard the term 'hawkeyed'?" Hawkmon snaps back.  
The bird lands next to Kari and stretches his wings lazily.  
"Is this distance safe?" he asks Kari and Ruki.  
Ruki gives Kari a questioning look, but Kari only shrugs.  
"I don't want to get in foxy's way." Hawkmon explains when he sees the blank faces.  
"If she ever hears you say 'foxy', then no distance will be safe." Ruki hisses.  
The bird gulps visibly and tries to avoid Ruki's glance.  
"That reminds me of something, Ruki." Kari interrupts them.  
"And what would that be?" Ruki asks, idly watching Renamon.  
Her Digimon is now practicing some jumpkicks.  
"I'm still wondering how Renamon was able to do all those tricks yesterday." Kari says.  
Ruki simply raises an eyebrow.  
_Is she implying that we cheated?_  
"For example, the Cat's Eye should be Gatomon's trademark attack. Still Renamon did it."  
"Oh that. Don't tell me you don't know how to slash a card."  
"Slash a card? What card?" Yolei asks, shrugging.  
Smiling, Ruki presents the girls and Digimon her card holder and opens it.  
But something is wrong. Yolei and Kari look at the cards as if they've never seen them before.  
"You don't have Digimon cards around here, do you?" she finally asks.  
Kari and Yolei shake their heads in unison.  
"What do these cards do?" Kari asks innocently.  
Ruki tries to think of the best way to explain the principle. Then she decides to simply demonstrate it.  
"Renamon." she calls her Digimon, who instantly stops her training and jogs towards her.  
"Hawkmon, would you like to help?" Ruki then asks the bird.  
"You're not going to start a fight here, are you?" Yolei asks in alarm.  
"No. It's a simple game of catch. Just a test if Renamon can catch Hawkmon."  
Before Yolei can protest, Hawkmon laughs at the challenge.  
"Well, foxy will never catch me!" he brags.  
Ruki notices Renamon stiffen when she hears that.  
"What did that chicken just call me?" she asks Ruki, trying not to shout.  
"He called you 'foxy'. And this hasn't been the first time." Ruki calmly explains.  
Hawkmon is already flying above their heads, laughing merrily.  
"However, I wanted to show the others how the cards work. Want to help?"  
Renamon grins when Ruki says that. Without another word, Renamon starts to run after Hawkmon.  
Ruki waits patiently while Renamon tries to snatch Hawkmon out of the air.  
Of course, it is futile. Hawkmon is flying low just to tease Renamon.  
Ruki idly browses through her cards, letting Renamon jump around a little longer.  
"She's never gonna catch Hawkmon. He has an unfair advantage." Yolei observes.  
"Not for long. Card Slash -"  
Renamon has just landed after another jump and waits for Ruki to complete the procedure.  
Ruki completely drives the card through her D-Arc and finishes the slash.  
"- Hawkmon!" she shouts finally.  
  
"Did somebody call my name?" Hawkmon wonders briefly.  
Foxy has tried to jump at him for some time now. It was almost boring.  
This time she appears in front of him and Hawkmon easily adjusts his course.  
The fox Digimon would sail past him and he would laugh at her inabili-  
"WHOA!" Hawkmon interrupts his own thoughts when he notices that something is wrong.  
Really wrong. Really really wrong.  
Grinning, Renamon spreads her own pair of wings. Hawkmon-style wings.  
Hawkmon frantically dives towards the ground, hoping to win some time.  
  
"Oh. My. God." Yolei whispers as she watches the strange chase in the sky.  
"How did you do that?" Kari asks, her eyes glues on the winged Renamon.  
"Looks like she used this card and her DigiVice." Gatomon observes.  
"Well, but she hasn't caught Hawkmon yet." Yolei adds.  
_We can change that..._ Ruki tells herself.  
Hawkmon now flies a meter above the ground, having gained much speed during his dive.  
Renamon is behind him, glancing at Ruki.  
"Change of plan!" she announces, knowing that Renamon can't keep the wings much longer.  
She shows Renamon the card she has planned to use in just this situation.  
"Now!" Renamon shouts as her feet touch the ground.  
"Card slash - Hypersonic Speed!" Ruki shouts, slashing the card.  
  
_So Renamon has wings. Still, Hawkmon has more flying experience._ Yolei judges.  
She sees the bird Digimon fly just above the ground. His speed is breathtaking.  
_I can't imagine how Renamon plans to catch Hawkmo-_  
Then she sees something yellow shoot towards Hawkmon.  
The bird doesn't even realize that something is approaching him. Fast.  
Even before Yolei can shout a warning, the yellow projectile has reached her Digimon partner.  
  
_And now it's time to go up, up and-_ Hawkmon tells himself, smiling.  
"AwayyyyyyyyURK!" he gasps when he feels something grab his wings.  
"Got you!" he hears Renamon gasp right behind him.  
  
Gatomon blinks.  
One second ago, Renamon has been more than ten meters behind Hawkmon.  
Now there is a long skid mark in the grass, and Hawkmon is struggling in Renamons paws.  
Still staring at the scene in front of her, she tips Kari's arm.  
"Yeah?" Kari asks, sounding as puzzled as Gatomon is.  
"I want cards like these..." Gatomon whispers, causing everybody to snicker.  
  
"Lemme go, foxy!" Hawkmon shouts while Renamon approaches the group again.  
"Stop calling me 'foxy', you chicken!" Renamon bickers.  
"I'm warning you, foxy!"  
"That's a good one, chicken."  
Kari grins when she hears the discussion. Easy for her since her Digimon isn't involved.  
"Hawkmon! Are you all right?" Yolei asks, running towards the Digimon.  
"I will be as soon as foxy lets go!" Hawkmon yells and struggles.  
Yolei relaxes when she hears that.  
"He's all right." she observes and smiles.  
"Hey Renamon, aren't they giving you any food so you have to hunt for yourself?" another voice asks.  
Renamon closes her eyes and sighs. She knows that voice.  
"At least I train while you just look cute." she tells Terriermon.  
The little Digimon has just arrived at the scene and grins.  
Renamon has never seen that little bunny in a not-smiling state.  
"There you are Terriermon! Oh... Hi!" Lee shouts, coming out of a bush.  
The blue-haired boy looks stressed. Terriermon obviously keeps him busy.  
"Is this a slaughter party of some kind?" Lee says when he sees Hawkmon in Renamon's paws.  
"That would be your first good idea ever, Lee." Ruki comments, causing Hawkmon to struggle even more.  
"Are you here with Ken?" Yolei asks Lee.  
"Oh my, Yolei! Renamon is already chewing on my wing!" Hawkmon shouts.  
_I am?_ Renamon asks herself briefly.  
Then she notices that Yolei isn't even reacting.  
"Uh, yeah. Ken should be here any minute." Lee answers, frowning.  
"Help, Renamon is cooking me!" Hawkmon shouts, obviously trying to get the girl's attention.  
But Yolei seems to be lost in her own world.  
_And I thought Ruki didn't care much for Digimon._ she tells herself.  
Finally she places Hawkmon on the ground and kneels next to the bird.  
"What's with her?" Renamon asks him.  
"She's in love with Ken. And when she is thinking about him, it's hard to reach her."  
Seconds later, Ken and Wormmon join the group, too.  
Yolei is instantly at Ken's side, causing the boy to blush.  
"Being in love must be wonderful..." Terriermon muses, causing Lee to blush a little, too.  
Renamon's eyes widen when Gatomon just nods, her mind obviously being somewhere else.  
"Uh, well... Hey, shouldn't Izzy be here by now?" Ken asks, trying to change the subject.  
Lee checks his watch and nods.  
"Care to tell us what you're talking about?" Ruki asks, sounding quite annoyed.  
"Izzy said he wanted to talk to me and Yolei. I told him that we would meet in the park." Ken explains.  
"Hey, he didn't tell me!" Yolei protests.  
"Well, I figured you'd be here anyway on a day like today." Ken says and smiles.  
Renamon can almost see the air between Ken and Yolei turn pink and shakes her head.  
  
Izzy finds them a few minutes later and waves his arm.  
_He looks as if he hasn't slept at all._ Yolei observes and frowns.  
"Hi everybody." Izzy finally greets them.  
"You look tired." Terriermon tells the boy.  
"Oh. Well, I have been discussing with Gennai all night." Izzy explains.  
His trademark laptop rests on his back. Yolei supposes it won't stay there much longer.  
"Yolei, Ken, could I talk with you for a while?" the computer genius asks.  
Both Yolei and Ken shrug and nod. Izzy coughes politely and points to a spot a few meters away.  
  
Renamon feels uncomfortable. She had spent long hours just watching Ruki and other humans.  
She knows to interpret body language. Laptop-boy isn't bringing them good news.  
_But I have to be sure._  
She quickly looks at the humans. Ruki and Lee are talking with Kari and Gatomon.  
Terriermon is doing his usual commenting. Good.  
"Uh, Terriermon? Could you join me for a second?" she asks, hoping not to get any attention.  
"Sure." the little bunny-dog-whatever Digimon answers and jogs towards her.  
When he is in range, she kneels down to face him.  
"Do me a favor and try to hear what Izzy and the others are saying." she whispers.  
Terriermon gives her an accusing look.  
"You want me to spy?" he whispers back.  
"Those big ears are there for a purpose." Renamon tells him.  
Terrimon sighs, knowing that it would be useless to resist.  
And while he listens, Renamon tries to focus her eyes on the display of Izzy's laptop.  
She can see graphs and video footage. The video shows their arrival.  
The video stops, showing Lee and Terriermon stepping out of the white light.  
Izzy points at the light, shrugs and shakes his head.  
Ken and Yolei also shrug, obviously being as clueless as Izzy is.  
The display then shows more graphs.  
A quick look at Terriermon tells Renamon that she doesn't have to see more.  
The little Digimon looks surprisingly serious, backing Renamon's suspicion.  
"We're not going home." Terriermon whispers, shaking his head.  
"Is that final?" Renamon asks already preparing herself to calm Ruki down.  
"This Gennai doesn't even have an idea how we got here. And I think he is supposed to be quite omniscient."  
  
"Something's wrong." Ruki quietly tells Lee.  
"What could be wrong beside the fact that you haven't had a good fight today?" Lee asks back.  
"I don't know. But take a look at our Digimon."  
Lee looks at Terriermon and instantly frowns.  
  
"So you guys have no idea, either?" Izzy concludes with a sigh.  
Both Yolei and Ken shake their heads in defeat.  
"Who's going to tell them?" Yolei finally asks.  
"I can do it." Izzy volunteers.  
_Maybe there is a subtle way to deliver the bad news._ he muses and turns around to face the group.  
He blinks when he sees how the scene has changed:  
Everybody stares at him. Everybody. And they are looking serious.  
No, not serious. Defeated.  
"So Izzy. Any news?" Ruki asks calmly, looking him directly into his eyes.  
_Oh yeah. Subtle._  
  


* * *

  
Notes:  
OK, so Lee and Terriermon have very little screentime. Sorry about that.  
I have made a slight script change that discouraged me from featuring them this time.  
Nothing major, but everything will get better starting with the next part.  
I will most likely start turning the big Wheel-of-Romance next time. ^_^  



	5. Dating time for Renamon!?

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise  
Part 5  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
For the first time in his life Lee would like to be more like Ruki.  
He'd scream, shout, tell the people how wothless they are.  
_But no. It's not Izzy's fault. He's done everything he can do._ Lee tells himself.  
Terriermon jumps onto his shoulder, looking just as defeated as Lee feels.  
Then suddenly, Terriermon switches to his child-like happy mood again.  
"Come on, Lee! Let's go home. I'm starving!" the little Digimon proposes.  
"You're right. I guess everything will be all right after a while." he answers, trying to smile.  
Ruki and Renamon have already left the park and Lee briefly wonders how she feels.  
Then he realizes another thing.  
"Who'll tell Takato?" Lee asks, startling the others.  
"I can tell him." Kari volunteers.  
"No. I'll do it. You look after Ruki and Renamon." Izzy tells her.  
Everybody nods as Lee and Terriermon leave the group.  
"Hey, wait for me!" he hears Ken shout.  
  
Lee and Ken walk side by side, nobody knowing what to say.  
Finally Lee breaks the silence.  
"So, you and Yolei are... friends?" he asks with a grin.  
Ken instantly blushes, but smiles.  
"I guess it's a bit more than that." he admits.  
"Are you in love?" Terriermon asks.  
"Terriermon!" Lee scolds his partner, but Ken just chuckles.  
"We kept our feelings down while there has been a threat to the DigiWorld. But now..."  
"Have you kissed her?"  
This time Lee almost strangles his partner.  
"I'm sorry. Terriermon simply says what's on his mind." Lee quickly explains.  
"It's all right." Ken calms him down.  
"Are you and Yolei the only couple of the group?" Terriermon asks, causing Lee to groan.  
"Oh yes. You haven't witnessed the real fun part yet." Wormmon announces.  
"I wouldn't call it fun, Wormmon." Ken comments.  
When he sees Lee's questioning look, he smiles and explains.  
"Well, it's about Kari. She likes T.K. and T.K. likes her."  
"I don't see the funny part here..." Lee tells Ken.  
"Well, Davis likes Kari, too. But it's unsure if Kari likes Davis."  
"Oh. Oh boy." Lee says after a while.  
"The same goes for their Digimon." Wormmon tells them.  
"Their Digimon are... in love?" Lee asks with wide eyes.  
"Well, Gatomon has two admirers: Patamon and Veemon." Ken explains, shrugging.  
"At the moment Patamon seems to have the advantage." Wormmon whispers.  
"I didn't know you were so well informed." Ken tells his partner with a raised eyebrow.  
"Well, we have to talk about something while you're in class." Wormmon admits.  
Ken sighs and rolls his eyes.  
"Well, here's my advice: If T.K. and Davis are together, don't try to interfere." Ken says.  
"Why not?" Lee asks innocently.  
"They'd think you were trying to date Kari, too."  
Lee gulps when he imagines T.K. and Davis teaming up to get rid of another rival.  
"Being in love must be wonderful." Terriermon states, making everybody laugh.  
  
"You sure you're all right?" Renamon asks. Again.  
"Of course not! What do you think?" Ruki yells, making Renamon flinch.  
Ruki is sitting on her bed, her fists trembling.  
"I... I'm sorry." Renamon finally whispers.  
"Pah. what are you sorry for?" Ruki asks.  
When Renamon starts to pace, Ruki realizes that the Digimon wants to tell her something.  
"I have been thinking, Ruki. Maybe it's all my fault."  
Ruki raises an eyebrow, but doesn't interrupt her Digimon.  
"Maybe you wouldn't be trapped here... if we never met." Renamon finally sighs.  
Ruki bites her lower lip, unsure what to answer.  
"You could be happy now. At home. Now you're trapped and I feel responsible."  
Ruki sighs.  
"Renamon. Come here for a second." she orders.  
Renamon frowns, but kneels in front of Ruki, looking up to her.  
The Digimon flinches when Ruki slaps her lightly on the nose.  
"Have you lost your mind?" she hisses, grabbing Renamon's shoulders.  
The Digimon's eyes widen in shock.  
"You're not responsible for what's happened. How can you even think such a thing?"  
Ruki's voice almost fails her, and she has to fight back her tears.  
"I don't regret having met you. You're the only one who really cared for me."  
She pulls the Digimon closer to her. Ruki can feel Renamon relax.  
"I could never blame you for this. Never."  
  
Kari and Gatomon arrive an hour later. They are greeted by a smiling Renamon.  
"Uh, everything all right with Ruki?" Kari carefully asks.  
"She'll manage. She's a strong girl" Renmon answers with a shrug.  
Kari smiles when she hears that and enters her own room.  
Renamon starts to leave, too. But Gatomon coughes politely, making Renamon stop.  
"Uh, Renamon, wouldn't you like it if somebody showed you the city by night?"  
Renamon cocks her head and frowns.  
"Sure. Why not?" she answers hesitantly.  
"Great! Then you will help me?" the cat Digimon asks happily.  
_Am I missing something?_ Renamon asks herself.  
"Help you by doing what?" she asks back.  
Gatomon laughs nervously, alerting Renamon even more.  
"Well, I have a date with Patamon this evening." Gatomon starts to explain.  
"You and Patamon are... dating?" Renaomn asks, unaware of Gatomon's admirers.  
"We're... close friends. Unfortunately, Veemon also wants to date me..."  
"Are you dating two guys at once?"  
"Of course not. But I bet that he's going to try to interfere."  
Renamon thinks about this situation.  
"I'm missing the city-at-night part." she finally protests.  
"Well, I thought that you could help me with Veemon..." Gatomon hints.  
"You want me to date that blue lizard so he can't interfere with you?"  
Gatomon laughs nervously again.  
"Oh no. Don't even think about it." Renamon quickly tells the cat.  
"Oh Renamon. Why don't you like to date him?" Renamon can hear Ruki tease her.  
The girl must have sneaked out of her room while Renamon has been talking to Gatomon.  
"You sound just like you mother." Renamon groans, starting to understand Ruki's usual mood.  
"Watch it, or there will be extra training tomorrow." Ruki scolds her Digimon.  
Renamon groans at the thought of extra training.  
"Oh all right. But you owe me big time for this." Renamon tells Gatomon.  
  
Kari's parents arrive at five. Kari can tell that they have had a busy day.  
After some smalltalk, they call Ruki out of her room, too.  
The girl looks quite normal, considering what has happened today.  
Mrs. Kamiya presents them some items.  
"I have spoken with the mayor today. And he wants you to have these." she annonuces.  
The girls look at the items.  
"A credit card and a cell phone?" Kari asks, frowning.  
"They want to show that they're supporting you however they can. You're official heroes now."  
"Who pays the stuff we buy with this?" Ruki asks, holding up her credit card.  
"Mayor's office. So please try not to ruin the city's finances, OK?" Mrs. Kamiya says.  
Everybody giggles at the thought.  
  
"Motomiya residence, Veemon speaking."  
Heya, it's me, Hawkmon!  
Veemon quickly checks if anybody is watching him.  
When he is satisfied, he holds the receiver closer.  
"OK. Have you found out anything?" he whispers.  
Patamon told me that they'd go to the pond in the park. Hawkmon tells him.  
"Thanks buddy. If you ever need something, let me know."  
With that, Veemon places the receiver on the station.  
He'd have about an hour to finish his preparations.  
The doorbell rings, and Veemon flinches.  
Then he reminds himself that he doesn't have to hide any more.  
"Could you open the door please, Veemon? It's probably Mom." Davis shouts from his room.  
"Sure." Veemon answers, mentally checking what he still has to do.  
  
"This will never work. Never." Renamon whispers.  
_Oh well, maybe he is nicer than he looks._ she tells herself.  
Gatomon had told her not to kill or cripple Veemon. That still left her the option of beating him up.  
But it wouldn't be the same. Renamon sighs and stares at the door in front of her.  
She briefly considers simply appearing inside. But that would be impolite.  
So she waits patiently. Finally she hears somebody open the door.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"  
*SLAM*  
Davis frowns at the unusual sounds coming from the front door.  
Before he can stand up to examine what has happened, Veemon storms into his room.  
The little Digimon looks pale. Davis frowns as he tries to remember the last time Veemon has looked this way.  
_He didn't even look that scared when we fought MaloMyotismon._  
He kneels to face his shivering partner.  
"Davis! Help me! Hide me! Anything!" the blue Digimon yells frantically.  
"What's up? And who has been at the door?"  
"It's the Terminator!" Veemon shouts.  
"Schwarzenegger?"  
"ARGH! The yellow one! Renamon!"  
The doorbell rings again, causing Veemon to jump slightly.  
"What does she want from us?" Davis asks, not knowing about Veemon's plans.  
"Gatomon must have sent her to finish me off before I can mess up her date!"  
"You wanted to mess up her date?"  
Veemon sighs.  
"Yeah. I bet that featherball talked. And now Gatomon has sent this killing machine after me!"  
Davis and Veemon are startled when they hear a knock at the window.  
Veemon looks out first.  
"AAAAAAAAAAAARGH! It's her! It's her!" he yells, sprinting out of the room.  
Now Davis looks out, too and sees Renamon who is looking rather annoyed.  
Frowning, he opens the window so Renamon can climb in.  
"Thanks." she mutters when she is standing next to him.  
"Do you really want to kill Veemon?" Davis asks her.  
Renamon just sighs and rolls her eyes.  
"Trust me, I'd love to by now. But I'm here to kinda ask him out."  
"You're what?" Davis asks, not believing his ears.  
"Gatomon asked me to do it so he couldn't interfere with her date."  
"Oh, clever. He thinks Gatomon sent you to finish him off."  
"Nah. I proposed that, but Gatomon somehow didn't like that." she says and shrugs.  
Davis gulps when he hears that.  
"Well, you've seen his reaction. I doubt he'll be too eager to join you." he finally says.  
"We'll see about that..." Renamon purrs as she walks out of the room.  
  
It doesn't take Renamon long to sniff out Veemon.  
The Digimon has locked himself inside the bathroom.  
Shaking her head, Renamon knocks at the door.  
"Davis?" she hears a voice from the other side.  
"Not quite."  
"HEEEEEELP!"  
Renamon shakes her head again, asking herself why she is actually doing this.  
"Listen up, Veemon. I am not here to kill you." she says loud enough for him to hear.  
"Nice try!" Veemon shouts throught the still locked door.  
"No, really! I'm just here to stop you from messing up Gatomon's date."  
"By killing me?"  
"By asking you out." Renamon answers firmly.  
There is a slight pause as Veemon recovers from this statement.  
"Uhhh... What if I don't believe you?" he finally asks.  
"Then I'll simply wait here until Gatomon is back from her date."  
When she doesn't get an answer, she sighs.  
"Come on, Veemon. Let's just make the best out of it, OK?" she asks.  
After half a minute, she finally hears the bathroom door unlock.  
She opens the door slowly, trying not to scare Veemon.  
Renamon smiles when she sees Veemon cowering in a corner.  
"Playing hard to get, eh?" she chuckles and opens the door fully.  
"You're really not going to hurt me?" Veemon weakly asks.  
"I will hurt you if you stay in that corner any longer." Reanmon replies, still smiling.  
Veemon seems to think about that, then hurriedly starts to prepare himself.  
_Let's just hope he'll be less hysterical outside._  
Shaking her head, she waits in the living room while Veemon is getting ready in Davis' room.  



	6. Love is in the air...

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise  
Part 6  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
"So, what're we gonna do?" Renamon asks merrily.  
The yellow Terminator Digimon seems to be enjoying this.  
Veemon frowns and sighs as he is walking next to her.  
"You know what I would like to do." he sighs.  
"You want to ruin Gatomon's evening." Renamon observes dryly.  
Veemon stops when he hears that.  
"Of course I don't want to ruin her evening!" he protests loudly.  
"That would be news." Renamon mocks him.  
"Oh come on. I love her. But when she sees the flying pig, she doesn't even notice me."  
His voice has dropped to a whisper.  
"So you love her. Then tell her. You won't win her heart by disturbing her date."  
"Tsk. She wants me out of her way. Force me out of her life." he tells her and laughs at her proposition.  
"A-ha?" Renamon asks, cocking her head slightly.  
"Stop acting. Why else would she send you to guard me?"  
"Tsk. You think I'm enjoying spending my time with you?" Renamon yells.  
People around them stop to witness the arguing Digimon.  
"Are you hinting that I'm not your class?" Veemon shouts back.  
_Oh brother, this evening isn't at all going as planned._  
"Just look at you! I'm almost three times your size!"  
"I didn't know that you were so fixed on a man's size..." Veemon teases her.  
Renamon actually blushes when several men around them start to snicker.  
"I was merely saying that I'm better at nearly anything you can name!" Renamon defends herself.  
"Oh really? Anything?" Veemon asks with a grin.  
"You name it, I prove it." Renamon sneers and assumes a fighting stance.  
_I'm dead. Geez, how did I get into this mess?_ Veemon asks himself.  
_OK, Veemon! Think! Think! There has to be something she isn't good at._  
Veemon then realizes that he doesn't know much about Renamon.  
_Except that she's good at beating Digimon up._  
He stares into her eyes, trying to look confident.  
_Hm. Digimon are often just like their human partners._ he thinks.  
Finally he sees the perfect escape path.  
"I bet you're a bad kisser." he shouts.  
The men around him start to cheer while the women just giggle.  
Renamon stares at Veemon and blinks in disbelief.  
  
_WHAT?_ Renamon simply thinks.  
_Th-Th-That's unfair! He can't just- Oh, wait. I said I'm batter at ANYthing._  
She makes a mental note to toss Gatomon out of the window for this one.  
Still, this doesn't help here right now.  
Renamon briefly considers simply disappearing or walking away.  
But that would make her look like a loser.  
_Great. Everybody is waiting for me to make my move._  
Renamon quickly considers her remaining options.  
_So either I chicken out or I do it._  
Renamon gulps as she makes her decision.  
A brave Digimon never chickens out. Never.  
  
_She's gonna run. I know it._ Veemon thinks and smiles.  
_Yeah. And when the humans are gone she'll kill me. Slow and painful._ he adds after a while.  
_Maybe she'll make it look like an accident. Boy, me and my big mouth._  
Veemon gulps. He considers praying, but he knows that he somehow deserves this.  
_Just for the record: I regret having tried to mess up Gatomon's date._  
He notices that Renamon has started to move.  
Finally she is standing in front of him and stares down.  
_She wouldn't kill me in front of those people, would she?_  
She slowly bows down and grabs him.  
_Maybe they encourage public murder in her world._ Veemon considers.  
He is lifted up until their eyes are at the same level.  
_Wait. She wouldn't actually-_  
  
Just then, their lips touch each other.  
Veemon's eyes widen as he realizes that Renamon is actually kissing him!  
After some seconds he notices how good it feels.  
She holds him gently as she continues her kiss.  
In the distance, Veemon can hear people cheer wildly.  
After he got used to the feeling, he starts to embrace Renamon's large but slender body.  
The kiss seems to last forever.  
  
Finally, Renamon finishes her long kiss and smiles at him.  
"Let's call it a draw." she whispers into his ear as she gently places him on the ground.  
The world is spinning inside Veemon's head, but the blue lizard still hears the people applauding them.  
As he recovers from his first real kiss, the people start to move on again.  
Finally they are alone on the sidewalk.  
"You're aware that this doesn't mean that we're... you know..." Renamon states hesitantly.  
"Uh. Yeah. Sure. I... love Gatomon... and just Gatomon..." Veemon stammers.  
"Uh... Good. And let's just not talk about it, right? In front of the others, I mean."  
"Right. They wouldn't understand that it meant... nothing. Right?"  
"Right." Renamon answers.  
Both of them are trying not to blush too much. But it's no use.  
Renamon knows that Ruki would go berserk if she knew of this.  
And Veemon knows that Gatomon would most likely kill him.  
_If she even cares about it._ Veemon adds bitterly.  
"Well, we still don't know what to do tonigh- Errr... this evening." Renamon says, blushing even more.  
"Let's just walk for a while." Veemon proposes, unable to think clearly at the moment.  
  
"And that's how Gatomon became my Digimon partner." Kari finishes her story.  
Ruki stares at her from the couch and just nods.  
She is obviously impressed by Kari's experience, but would never admit it.  
"And after that?" she asks when she notices that Kari isn't continuing the story.  
"Why don't we take a little break here? I'm starving."  
Ruki checks her watch and gasps. Two hours have passed since Renamon's departure.  
"Uh, sure. Why not?" Ruki answers, noticing her own hunger.  
Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya have been invited to a party.  
_Well, being the parents of two international heroes should give your reputation a boost._ Ruki admits.  
Tai, Kari's older brother is hanging out with Matt.  
That leaves just Ruki and Kari.  
While Kari prepares them a quick meal, the doorbell rings.  
"I'll get it." Ruki says and walks towards the door.  
She knows that her Mom would freak out right now.  
_Two little girls, alone at night. And I open the door, not knowing who is there._  
_There might be a burglar. A robber. A murderer. Oh, I am so afraid._  
Ruki snickers at the thought as she apporaches the door.  
_Well, I'd like to see the bad guys face when Renamon beats him silly._  
She opens the door and blinks when she doesn't see anybody.  
Just as she wants to close the door again, somebody calls her name.  
Ruki makes a step backwards and now realizes why she hasn't seen anybody.  
Standing outside is Yolei's little featherball, Hawkmon.  
"Oops. Sorry, Hawkmon." she says, trying to be nice.  
"Oh, I don't mind. I... errr... just wanted to know if Renamon might be here?"  
Ruki blinks in confusion.  
"No, she's... out. do you want to leave her a message?" she finally answers.  
The little bird sighs when he hears that.  
"No... no... it's not that urgent... Just tell her that I've been here."  
When Ruki nods, the hawk Digimon walks away, sighing.  
_What was that all about?_ she asks herself as she closes the door.  
  
_She's out. Out. Out where? And did she go alone?_  
Hawkmon sails over the houses, trying to clear his mind.  
Life is unfair. It had taken him all his courage to do this. To go there.  
And then she's not even at home!  
Hawkmon sighs again. The image of Renamon wouldn't leave him.  
He had seen her skill and grace when they had played catch in the park.  
_"Got you!" she told me._ Hawkmon remembers and sighs.  
_Oh yeah. She's got me all right. My foxy lady._  
  
"Hm, you're quite a cook, Kari." Ruki praises her host.  
Kari blushes and smiles in her usual happy way.  
_Mom would have liked her. And surprisingly, I start to like her, too._ Ruki wonders.  
She normally despises people who are nice, happy and lovely all the time.  
But Kari seems to be an exception. And her ramen are the best Ruki has eaten so far.  
The doorbell makes both girls sigh.  
Kari starts to stand up, but Ruki gestures her to sit down.  
She wanders to the door, hoping that she'd see somebody she could bicker with.  
_Being nice and friendly may be fine, but it isn't really my way._  
She opens the door and instantly smiles.  
"Hi Davis!" she greets to gogglehead.  
"Oh, hello Ruki. Is Kari there, too?" the boy asks.  
_Oh, this is perfect. I simply can't resist._  
"No. Sorry. I killed her, chopped her into tiny bits and flushed her down the toilet."  
Davis blanches visibly and gulps.  
Before Ruki can say anything to calm him down, gogglehead charges past her to the bathroom.  
Ruki tries not to laugh to loudly while she closes the door.  
She is soon joined by a very confused looking Kari. Together the two girls slowly follow Davis' lead.  
Ruki sees Kari frown when she sees what Davis is doing in the bathroom.  
"KARI! ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?" he frantically shouts at the toilet.  
"What is he doing there?" Kari whispers, leaning towards Ruki.  
"I think he looking for you." Ruki answers, trying to sound serious.  
"In there?" Kari asks, pointing at the toilet.  
Ruki simply shrugs and grins.  
"KARI! IT'S ME, DAVIS! CAN YOU HEAR ME?" Davis continues his shouting.  
"I can hear you Davis." Kari answers from behind him.  
"OH YESSS! DON'T WORRY, I'LL GET YOU OUT IN NO-TIME!"  
"Davis."  
"DO YOU NEED ANYTHING, KARI?"  
"Oh well, I've been looking for your sanity. Have you seen it anywhere?" Kari asks.  
Gogglehead seems to think about that one.  
Kari just sighs and tips his shoulder.  
Davis whirls around and his eyes widen when he sees Kari.  
The eigth DigiDestined gasps when he hugs her tightly, muttering various phrases of joy.  
"This must be love..." Ruki sighs with an evil grin while she leans against the bathroom door.  
"Ruki, we have to talk." Kari mutters, trying to ignore Davis' bonecrushing hug-o-death.  
  
"Geez, you really got me with that one." Davis admits, eating some leftover ramen.  
"You really thought that I murdered Kari?" Ruki asks with a frown.  
"I don't know, maybe it's some freakish ritual in your world." Davis replies.  
"Oh, I'll show you a freakish cult soon enough!" Ruki mutters, clenching her fist.  
But something's wrong. Davis isn't weeping in fear or trying to 'tame' her.  
He seems pretty oblivious to the danger Ruki tries to present to him.  
She gives Kari a look for help. Kari just shrugs and rolls her eyes.  
"Well, actually I think you couldn't have done something like that."  
"And why not?" Ruki snaps.  
_If he says I'm incapable of doing it, I'll show him otherwise._ she tells herself.  
"Simple. You're too cute." Davis mutters while finishing his bowl of ramen.  
  
_He's dead. Typical Davis-mistake: 'Ohhh... does it really hurt if I set my clothes on fire?'_  
Kari bites her lower lip as she waits for the inevitable to happen.  
It doesn't happen. A quick glance at Ruki makes Kari gasp.  
The girl in the broken-heart-shirt stares at Davis openmouthed.  
_Looks like Davis has extinguished the fire by ignoring its danger._ Kari thinks.  
Then she realizes that the comparison stinks.  
But Kari can't think of a proper comparison. Davis has done the impossible.  
And he isn't even aware of it. Is he?  
He innocently checks his watch and smacks his forehead.  
"Oh, I gotta be going! If you just excuse me, see you later!"  
Kari blinks as Davis quickly leaves the room, grinning.  
"Cute?" Ruki finally manages to ask, frowning.  
  
The next morning is looking quite interesting in some households:  
  
"Renamon is as good as dead." Ruki mutters when she sees the front page of the newspaper.  
"Veemon is as good as dead." Gatomon whispers.  
"Actually they're looking quite cute." Kari adds, receiving two stares of death.  
  
"Oh... Renamon in love?" Guilmon asks innocently.  
Takato just shrugs.  
  
"Rena and Veemon are sitting in a tree... K-I-S-S-urks"  
Terriermon is quickly silenced by a frowning Lee.  
  
"Veemon is as good as dead." Hawkmon mutters, making Yolei cough.  
  
"Hey, that means I've got no rival anymore!" Patamon cheers.  
T.K. just snickers.  
  
"OK, I'm dead." Veemon mutters.  
In a last effort of damage-control, he removes the front page and destroys it before Davis wakes up.  
  


* * *

  
Notes:  
Don't say it, I know what you're thinking:  
_Weird aliens must have twisted the minds of the Digimon and the DigiDestined._  
But I really wanted to set a solid basis for chaos and character interaction.  
Maybe I'll find the way to sanity again. *shrug*  
Or I'll just finish this scenario (which would make a great soap opera... ^_^).  
I guess I'll change the category to romance/humor or something like this.  
This has gotten way too weird for a normal romance... *EG*  



	7. Flower Power!

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise  
Part 7  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
Renamon is lying on her small sleeping mat next to Ruki's bed.  
Back in their world this would have been unthinkable.  
But Digimon weren't a secret here. So she could afford being near her heartbreaker.  
It was a wonderful feeling not being forced to sleep in some hiding place.  
Or existing in her space that is out of human sight.  
Of course there are risks sleeping where everybody can see you.  
*THWACK*  
Renamon blinks in confusion. Her nose hurts. What had happened?  
She has never been ambushed in her sleep before.  
The gloved fox quickly assumes a fighting position as she scans the room.  
There are no attackers. Just Ruki holding a rolled-up newspaper.  
The Digimon slowly realizes that Ruki has slapped her with the paper as if scolding a dog.  
"So, Renamon. How was your date?" Ruki hisses, tapping her foot.  
_What? Ruki looks angry. What has happened? Has she been attacked? Have I failed her?_  
Renamon frowns. Ruki doesn't look scratched. Just angry.  
"Uhhhh... not bad. Why're you asking, Heartbreaker?" Renamon answers after a while.  
"Don't gimme this Heartbreaker routine!" Ruki yells.  
Renamon notices Kari and Gatomon standing in the door frame. They look disturbed.  
_What have I missed?_ she asks herself.  
"OK Ruki. Would you please tell me what has-"  
Her voice fails her when Ruki unrolls the paper she has whacked Renamon with.  
She stares at the front page Ruki now shows her.  
The entire front page consists of one large photo.  
The photography shows Renamon. And Veemon. Kissing passionately.  
"Ohhhh boy." she mutters, covering her eyes with her right paw.  
  
"Oh hiya Veemon!" Davis greets as he exits his room.  
Veemon has finished destroying the front page minutes ago.  
He didn't just tear it into little pieces. He also burnt the pieces.  
Twice. It had been quite difficult to burn the ashes. But Veemon was desperated.  
"He, he. Mornin' Davis. How's it goin'?" Veemon asks, trying to sound at ease.  
"Perfect, dude. Just perfect." Davis answers with a smile.  
Davis walks past him, and Veemon notices the boy's blank look.  
"Davis. The kitchen's the other way." Veemon sighs.  
But Davis just walks towards the door.  
"Be right back. Just have to order something." Veemon's partner whispers as he exits the house.  
_He actually goes somewhere before breakfast? Wow..._  
  
"I'll break every bone in his body. Twice." Hawkmon grumbles.  
Yolei gulps. She has never seen her partner this angry.  
_Why's he so mad? Renamon and Veemon are kissing. So what?_ she asks herself.  
Then she starts to see the connection.  
_Hawkmon seems to be... jealous. Bu-But that would mean-_  
"Are you in love with... her?" Yolei finally asks.  
Hawkmon stares at her with murder in his eyes.  
"Objections?" he hisses.  
Not waiting for her to answer, he starts towards an open window.  
"WAIT!" Yolei shouts.  
Surprisingly, Hawkmon does as he is told and stops walking.  
"Does Veemon know that you love Renamon?" she asks, hoping to get through.  
"No." Hawkmon answers. His wings are trembling.  
"Does Renamon know you love her?"  
Hawkmon sighs and shakes his head.  
"Maybe you should tell her first. This could be done-"  
"You're right, Yolei. I'll show her my affection." Hawkmon interrupts her.  
_Thank God. I would have hated if he actually attacked Vee-_  
"I'll send her a gift. And then Veemon is gonna pay."  
Before Yolei can shout her objection, Hawkmon has exited through the window.  
_I should warn Veemon. But Hawkmon would be mad if I did it._  
"Oh boy."  
  
Ruki has been ranting for some time now.  
Gatomon gulps. She knows that this is her fault. Sort of.  
Still, the fox doesn't say it. She simply accepts Ruki's shouting.  
Renamon is kneeling on the floor, eyes fixed on the carpet.  
Gatomon had wanted to stop Ruki before the shouting had gotten really bad.  
But Renamon had simply looked at Gatomon then. And the fox had simply shaken her head.  
It was a small gesture, Kari had not noticed anything.  
But Gatomon has been deeply moved beacuse Renamon didn't want her to get into trouble, too.  
The doorbell rings, but nobody pay it any attention.  
Finally Kari's mother has gone to the door.  
"Kari? Ruki? could you come here for a moment?" Mrs. Kamiya shouts after a while.  
"Don't you dare to move!" Ruki hisses as she walks out together with Kari.  
  
"Aren't you a little rough, Ruki?" Kari asks as they approach the door.  
"Rough? Renamon's kissing some weakling Digimon!" Ruki hisses.  
"Come on. You haven't even heard her side of the story."  
"Don't tell me how to treat my Digimon." Ruki tells Kari.  
They reach the door and see a man in a green uniform standing outside.  
The young man is carrying a bunch of flowers and is smiling.  
"Takenuchi Flower Service. Are you Kari and Ruki?" he asks.  
"She's Kari. I'm Ruki." Ruki quickly explains.  
"Takenuchi? Like in Sora Takenuchi?" Kari asks with a frown.  
The man nods happily.  
"Sora told me once that they rarely deliver flowers." Kari observes.  
"Well, somebody has begged Sora to make an exception. And her mother approved."  
_Who on this planet would have the nerve to ask Sora to do this?_ Kari asks herself.  
She smiles when the man hands her a red rose and an envelope.  
Only one boy in the world would be romantic enough to send her a rose.  
And Kari knows that Sora's mother is one of the best florists in town.  
She gently hold the rose and sighs dreamily.  
"And this is for young lady Makino." the delivery man says.  
Kari gasps when she sees the man hand Ruki a bunch of roses.  
"Pardon me?" Ruki asks, staring at the flowers.  
She slowly accepts the flowers and flinches.  
"Those roses have thorns!" Ruki yells at the man.  
The delivery man just nods.  
"That's correct. One thornless rose for Kari, one dozen wild roses for Ruki."  
Ruki and Kari look at each other.  
"Oh, and greetings from Sora." he adds as he walks away.  
  
"Renamon?" Gatomon asks once the girls have left the room.  
"Yes?" Renamon answers, still staring at the floor.  
The fox is still kneeling like a statue.  
"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get you into trouble."  
"Don't be sorry. It has been a foolish act."  
The snow-white cat bites her lower lip.  
"Do you- Do you love him?" she finally asks, not sure why she is asking.  
"Hm. He loves you. He told me so."  
"That doesn't answer my question." Gatomon points out.  
"I... I don't think I could love him even if I wanted to."  
Gatomon stares at the kneeling Renamon.  
"What's that supposed to mean?" she hisses.  
"He loves you. And you obviously care for him, too. I wouldn't want to interfere with that."  
Kari's partner blinks. Her plans to break Veemon's neck are forgotten.  
And Gatomon realizes that she indeed likes Veemon as much as Patamon.  
"I bet I hurt his feelings. I should talk to him." she whispers.  
"That would be a wise thing to do." Renamon assures her calmly.  
"Still... why did you kiss him?"  
The fox with the yin-yang gloves sighs.  
"It was a challenge. I said I'd be better at anything he could think of."  
"And he...?"  
"...proposed kissing. Yes." Renamon sighs.  
Gatomon snickers.  
"That was all? A stupid challenge? Nothing more?" she asks the fox, feeling relieved.  
She would have said more, but Ruki and Kari have returned.  
  
Renamon feels better already.  
She had expected Gatomon to strike her down to have her revenge.  
After all, Renamon has kissed Gatomon's... closest friends. Well, one of them at least.  
But the cat seemed to understand her. Maybe things would calm down again.  
As if to mock her, Ruki enters just in that moment.  
Renamon's eyes widen when she sees that Ruki is carrying flowers.  
_Oh please don't tell me Veemon has sent me flowers!_  
The thought seems silly. After all, Veemon had told her that he is in love with Gatomon.  
Still, Ruki has flowers. Roses. A dozen of them.  
Renamon resists the urge to stand up.  
Her pose is very uncomfortable, but Ruki would be really mad if she moved.  
So she remains in her kneeling position and follows her Heartbreaker with her eyes only.  
  
_Geez, who'd send me flowers? Roses with thorns. Tsk._ Ruki asks herself.  
She and Kari sit down on Ruki's bed and examine the cards that came with the flowers.  
Ruki places the flowers on the bed and starts to read.  

    
    Dear Ruki,
    A rose with thorns may look wild and unattractive to the untrained eye.
    But if you know how to hold them, how to care for them,
    they become the most beautiful flowers on the world.
    I think you are just like these roses.
    Because for me, you're the most beautiful person in the world.
    Davis

Ruki stares at the card. Then at the roses. Then back at the card.  
_"You're too cute."_ she remembers him saying to her.  
She closes her eyes and holds the card close to her chest.  
  
_What the..._ Kari asks herself and reads the card again. 
    
    Dear Kari,
    I have finally realized that T.K. has won your heart a long time ago.
    For all this time I have caused you two nothing but trouble.
    You always seem so happy when you see T.K.
    And yesterday, I have found my true love.
    Best wishes,
    Davis

_He has found his true love? What is he-_ Kari thinks.  
Then she gulps and turns her head.  
Ruki looks completely lost in her own world. Her flowers are next to her.  
_Oh. My. God._  
"Ruki? Could I take a look at the card, please?" she asks nicely.  
Ruki just sighs, hands her the card and immediately picks up the flowers.  
Kari quickly reads Ruki's card and gasps.  
_OH. MY. GOD._  
"Davis is in love with you?" she whispers.  
Gatomon blinks furiously. Even Renamon whirls around to face Kari.  
The fox's paws are instantly at Kari's neck, the snarling rest of her not far behind.  
"How dare you spread these lies about my Ruki!" she snaps at Kari.  
"And I think I love him, too." Ruki whispers, causing Renamon to release Kari's neck.  
Renamon stands in front of the girls, unsure what to do.  
In the end she snatches Ruki's card out of Kari's hands and reads it.  
"Whoa..." she whispers after some seconds.  
Then she kneels in front of Ruki.  
"Ruki?" she asks, frowning.  
"Hmmmm?" Ruki answers dreamily.  
"You all right?"  
"I'm fine. Thank you, Renamon..."  
Kari frowns, too. She doubts that Ruki is really listening.  
Obviously Renamon shares her opinion as she tries to provoke a reaction.  
"Well, I just wanted to tell you that I'm going now. Okay?"  
Ruki just smiles and pets the fox's head.  
"And I'm going to marry Veemon." Renamon adds, looking quite annoyed.  
"Oh, isn't that lovely." Ruki whispers, still petting her Digimon's head.  
"And we're going to make love for the rest of the week."  
"I'm happy if you're happy, Renamon."  
"And after that, I burn down this city, just like Nero."  
Ruki simply giggles. Renamon just shakes her head in defeat.  
"Must be one of those days..." the Digimon whispers to herself.  
The doorbell rings again. Kari can hear her mother move.  
"Kids! It's the nice flower delivery man again..."  
Kari starts to stand.  
_What could he want? Oh, maybe a tip._ she thinks.  
"...and he wants to see Renamon!" her mother finishes the sentence.  
Everbody in the room freezes. Except for Ruki, who is still smelling at her flowers.  
Renamon frowns, but walks towards the door. Gatomon follows her.  
"If Veemon sent you flowers, he's going to die." Kari's cat mutters.  
  
_What else can go wrong today?_ Renamon asks herself.  
She kissed Veemon. Bad.  
The kiss became public news. Bad.  
Ruki is braindead. Bad.  
Renamon admits that she is jealous. Somebody stole her Ruki.  
The flower guy smiles as she greets him.  
He doesn't seem to care that she isn't human, and that startles her.  
"You must be Renamon. Biyomon told me much about you and the others." the man explains.  
Renamon gives Gatomon a questioning look.  
"He works for Sora's mother. Sora's been one of the first DigiDestined." Gatomon tells her.  
"Oh." Renamon just answers and looks at the man again.  
"Here. Looks like Sora can ask for many favors soon."  
Saying that, the man hands Renamon a bunch of yellow roses.  
Renamon frowns and takes a look at the card.  
  
Gatomon looks up at Renamon.  
_She has gone through a lot of trouble. But maybe everything is going to be better now._  
Renamon frowns as she reads the card.  
Suddenly the fox drops the flowers. Gatomon quickly catches them, and frowns, too.  
_Something's wrong._ she knows.  
"Oh please no!" Renamon whispers and looks around frantically.  
Before Gatomon or the flower delivery man can ask something, Renamon dashes away.  
Gatomon sees the fox run into the kitchen.  
But when she runs around the corner into the kitchen, Renamon is gone.  
_Where'd she go? The windows are closed, and there is just this one door!_  
Then she notices the card that came with the flowers lying on the floor.  
Frowning, Gatomon picks it up. 
    
    Oh my beloved Renamon,
    How it hurts me to see you in the arms of another 'mon.
    Especially since you have won my heart long ago.
    We are destined for each other, I simply know it.
    And we will be together, I promise.
    I just have to take care of Veemon.
    You're too good for him. And I will make him pay.
    Hawkmon


	8. Bird of prey?

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise  
Part 8  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
_Something is wrong._  
Davis' happiness vanishes when he realizes that.  
Everything has been fine until now. Now he is standing at the front door of his home.  
And he can see what is happening inside. Although the door is closed.  
Since his goggles don't give him X-Ray vision, Davis concludes that the door is broken.  
The huge hole in the door backs his guess.  
"DIE VEMON, DIE!" he can hear somebody yell inside.  
Davis guesses that there might be a connection between the hole and the voice.  
Frowning, he opens the door and steps inside.  
"What did I do?" he can hear Veemon.  
His buddy sounds out exhausted.  
"FEATHER STRIKE!"  
A red feather hits one of the far walls. Davis can now see more feathers stuck in various surfaces.  
"These feathers look like the ones Hawkmon uses." Davis ponders.  
"Hawkmon, old buddy. Please! Can't we just talk about it?"  
Davis walks to his room, following the voices.  
The door to his room also has a hole in it. Maybe they could install a window in it...  
He shakes his head and looks into his room.  
  
Davis can see Veemon and Hawkmon. Yolei's Digimon looks angry. No, not angry. Lunatic.  
And he is struggling with Veemon. Davis frowns when he sees the claw marks on Veemon's body.  
Hawmon's feathers look ruffled, too. The fight has obviously started a while ago.  
"Excuse me?" Davis interrupts them politely.  
The two Rookies instantly freeze and look up.  
"Back off! This is just between me and Veemon!" Hawkmon yells.  
"Davis! Help! He's completely nuts!" Veemon shouts, causing Hawkmon to snarl.  
"Veemon, what's this all about?" Davis demands, not really knowing what to do.  
"I don't know! He just came in and attacked!" Veemon shouts, trying to break free.  
Hawkmon only starts to attack Veemon's head with his beak.  
"SEDUCER!" he yells at Veemon.  
"Oh no. Don't tell me you're in love with Gatomon, too." Davis mutters.  
Hawkmon stops and looks at him in confusion.  
"Who said anything about Gatomon?" he asks, sounding unnaturally calm.  
"It's not about Gatomon?" Davis asks, having not seen the front page.  
Veemon just sighs. He has stopped struggling, too.  
"Just switch on the news channel, Davis." the blue lizard sighs.  
"What channel number is that? I never watch that one." Davis asks himself as he switches on the TV.  
Trying to keep an eye on the two Digimon, he watches the report.  
  
And now back to the story of the day! Digimon in love! the announcer says.  
Davis gasps when he sees the image on the screen.  
It shows Veemon and Renamon. His buddy and the Digimon of Ruki!  
"Ohhhh... Ruki..." he whispers, but manages to find his way back to reality.  
However, the Digimon are... together. Close together. And they're... they're...  
"KISSING?" Davis shouts, looking at Veemon.  
"It's not as it seems, Davis! I can explain! I ca-URKS"  
Veemon's protests are cut off as Hawkmon furiously tries to strangle Veemon.  
"LIAR!" the bird yells at the lizard.  
  
_Just in time._ Renamon tells herself when she sees the scene in front of her.  
She has chosen to appear inside Veemon's home without actually being visible.  
But she realizes that she could not afford to stay invisible for long.  
Veemon's face has already turned blue from the lack of air.  
_No, wait. He has always been blue._ she realizes her silly mistake.  
Still, she has to do something.  
She appears behind Davis so that nobody actually sees her fading in.  
Then she steps past the gogglehead Ruki seems to be in love with.  
"Hawkmon." she simply says, making everybody in the room jump.  
Just as she had expected, Hawkmon instantly releases Veemon and starts to run towards her.  
"My dear! How I have waited to-" he says dreamily.  
But Renamon interrupts him by holding up her paw.  
"What do you think you're doing here?" she asks flatly.  
Hawkmon instantly stares at Veemon.  
"Making this... this.. SEDUCER PAY!" he suddenly roars, charging at the blue Digimon.  
_This really isn't my day._ Renamon tells herself.  
"Hawkmon, FREEZE!" she yells, having had enough trouble for one morning.  
"Excuse me, how did you get in here?" Davis asks, having caught up with the recent events.  
"Please go. Call Ruki or something like that." Renamon mutters.  
_Am I the only one in here who is capable of thinking?_  
She turns her attention back to Hawkmon, he has indeed stopped his attack.  
"Listen up, featherball. Veemon is not in love with me." she calmly starts to explain.  
Hawkmon looks at her, then suddenly resumes his attacks.  
"YOU SEDUCE HER WITHOUT EVEN LOVING HER! DIE! DIE!" he yells frantically.  
Furious, Renamon grabs Hawkmon's right wing and slam him against one of the walls.  
"What's the matter with all those male Digimon?" she yells at the startled hawk.  
She grabs his wing again and twists it onto his back, forcing the smaller Digimon onto the floor.  
"Now listen up! Veemon doesn't love me. I don't love Veemon. GOT THAT SO FAR?" she shouts.  
Hawkmon looks up at her in terror, but managed a short nod.  
"GOOD! The kiss has been a simple challenge! Nothing more!" she continues.  
Hawkmon stops struggling and frowns.  
"Challenge?"  
"I said I'd be better than at anything he could think of. And he proposed kissing." Renamon sighs.  
She has told that embarrassing story far too often today.  
Hawkmon thinks about that, then smiles.  
"Want to challenge me?" he asks with a grin.  
"Want me to break your wing?" she simply asks back, making Hawkmon gulp.  
"What on earth-" another voice interrupts them.  
  
Gatomon couldn't really imagine Hawkmon being jealous. Or mad. Or in love.  
For her, Hawkmon has always been the cocky gentleman Digimon at Yolei's side.  
Then she had seen the front door. Or rather, what's left of it.  
The door had been open, so she carefully stepped inside.  
The white cat saw Davis at the phone. Judging by his dreamy face, he has called Ruki.  
But another thing grabbed her attention:  
There are feathers everywhere. Most of them are stuck in pices of furniture.  
Hawkmon has never used so many Feather Strikes in one battle.  
Then she noticed the silence. The battle is over.  
She slowly made her way to Davis' room and looked inside.  
"What on earth-" she mutters when she sees what is happening.  
Veemon is lying on the floor, catching his breath.  
Gatomon winces when she sees the scratches on his body.  
Then she notices Renamon kneeling on top of Hawkmon.  
The slender fox has secured Hawkmon's wing on his back, immoilizing the bird.  
Gatomon briefly asks herself how long Renamon has been here.  
_I've made it here in record time. Still it seems as if she has been here for quite a time._  
She shrugs.  
_Must be all that training Ruki forces her to do._ she finally decides.  
Renamon looks at her and sighs.  
"Take care of Veemon, please." the golden fox says.  
_She's so in-control. So balanced. So slender. So- GOD, WHAT AM I THINKING?_  
"Uh, sure." she mutters, still wondering about her thoughts.  
She had stared at Ruki's Digimon. And it had felt so... perfect.  
_Must be all that love-talk. Made me dizzy. Yeah._ she tells herself.  
_Still... I can understand why Hawkmon is crazy about her._ she adds while she looks after Veemon.  
She blinks, forcing the thought away.  
Veemon looks up at her and frowns.  
"Everything all right?" he whispers, concern showing on his face.  
"Yeah. Sure. I'm fine." she assures him, faking a smile.  
  
"My love, please let me go!" Hawkmon begs.  
He has the feeling that he has screwed up. Big time.  
Slowly his brain starts to go through the events again.  
_Okay. I got mad. I yelled at Yolei. I tried to kill Veemon. Renamon is mad._  
He frowns when he realizes just how much he has screwed up.  
"I'm not your love!" Foxy hisses, tightening her grip on him.  
"Bu-Bu-But I love you! You're the most perfect being in existance!" Hawkmon weeps.  
He can feel Renamon's grip loosen. His love stares down at him.  
"Really? You really mean that?" she whispers, cocking her head.  
"Of course. I adore you!" Hawkmon eagerly adds.  
Renamon's features soften when he says that.  
"Oh you silly bird." she teases him with a smile.  
She releases him and kneels next to him.  
"Does that mean that you love me, too?" Hawkmon asks hopefully.  
She touches his shoulder and cocks her head again.  
"This is all happening so fast. I barely know you." she tells him.  
Hawkmon can feel Gatomon's curious stare.  
_Don't give up! She likes you!_ his inner voice tells him.  
"Well... I could give you the chance to know me better..." he starts carefully.  
She raises an eyebrow, looking even cuter than before.  
"Maybe we could... well... have dinner somewhere?" he proposes slowly.  
Hawkmon braces himself. He knows that he is playing an all-or-nothing game.  
He notices Gatomon almost fainting in the background.  
The silence following his words seems to last forever.  
"Why not?" Renamon finally answers with a smile.  
Hawkmon and Gatomon faint in unison.  
  
"Well, see you in the evening!" Davis says as he finishes his call.  
_She loves me! She loves me! And she'll date me!_ he silently cheers.  
He hovers past the TV, which is still showing Renamon and Veemon kissing.  
_Oh perfect world! Life is good! Life is great!_  
He enters his room and blinks.  
Hawkmon is lying on the floor in front of Renamon.  
Veemon is buried under an unmoving Gatomon.  
"Am I witnessing something perverted here?" he carefully asks.  
"Davis! Help me! Gatomon's lying on top of-" his partner starts to shout.  
Then Veemon obviously realizes what he is saying.  
"No! Don't help me! Just leave me like this! Please!" he corrects himself.  
Renamon sighs and lifts up Gatomon.  
"Spoil-sport." Veemon mutters.  
"Pervert." Renamon snaps.  
"What has happened here?" Davis asks, still standing in the doorframe.  
"To be honest - I'm not sure." Renamon answers, shaking her head.  
She cradles the unconscious Gatomon and examines the room.  
"Please call Yolei. I guess she's on her way here, but I'm not sure." she adds.  
"What about me?" Veemon asks, dtill lying on the floor.  
"Try not to bleed to death." Renamon tells him as she starts towards the window.  
She opens it with one paw while holding Gatomon with the other one.  
Then she briefly faces Davis.  
"Sorry about all this." she says, nodding at the ruins of Davis' room.  
"Oh, it's OK. I guess." Davis answers as she jumps out with Gatomon.  
  
Patamon looks up at T.K.  
His partner has been phoning for some time now.  
Finally he finishes the call and smiles broadly.  
When he faces Patamon, the smile vanishes.  
"Well, Patamon. I have good news and I have bad news." he tells the Digimon.  
_What is he talking about? What could possibly be wrong?_ Patamon asks himself.  
"I've talked with Kari. And guess what: Davis loves Ruki!" T.K. cheers.  
"Well, that's great T.K. Then you have Kari all for yourself!" Patamon observes.  
"Yeah! Well, however... Kari told me something about the newspaper photo." T.K. continues.  
  
Seconds later, the whole neighbourhood jumps when a single scream can be heard.  
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Patamon yells.  
  


* * *

  
Notes:  
OK, no casualties this time. Phew.  
But will Patamon join the fray now? Does Renamon love Hawkmon? And what about Gatomon?  
Oh boy... I hope this doesn't end in a "Last 'mon standing" duel...  



	9. After the storm

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise  
Part 9  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  
Notes:  
I have read all the reviews so far. First of all, I'd like to thank all of you!  
The topic Renamon/Flamedramon has been mentioned there quite a lot.  
Hmmm... So far it looks as if Veemon is happy with Gatomon. Doesn't it? Hmmm...  
Well, just read on, I'm not promising or denying anything yet.  
This story has had many twists before, who knows how it will end?  
  


* * *

  
"They actually saw you?" the tactical supervisor asks sharply.  
Spectre 1 and Spectre 2 nod in unison.  
"Do they know anything?"  
Both men shake their heads.  
"They think we're government employees." Spectre 1 adds.  
The tactical supervisor smiles.  
"Well, then continue your watch. We will continue as planned."  
The watchers of Gatomon and Renamon exit the room and sigh.  
"That went well." Spectre 2 whispers.  
"Yeah. Good thing we didn't say that we ate pancaked with them." Spectre 1 chuckles.  
The two men walk through the Op Centre.  
"Still, I have a bad feeling about this." Spectre 2 mutters and frowns.  
"I know. But remember: It's for their own good."  
Both men nod. But not even Spectre 1 believes his own words.  
  
Yolei gasps as Davis leads her into his room.  
Or rather, what's left of his room.  
She came here as fast as possible, thanks to her mother who drove her.  
"Oh. Hey, Yolei." Veemon greets her.  
The blue lizard is covered with Band-Aids.  
_Did Hawkmon do that?_ Yolei asks herself, but she already knows the answer.  
"Where is he?" Yolei hisses.  
"He's lying on the couch in the livingroom." Davis tells her.  
Yolei quickly finds her Digimon partner. He is obviously unconscious, but looks unhurt.  
She shakes her head and walks back to Davis and Veemon.  
"I'm really sorry for what happened. I tried to hold him back, but-" she starts to apologize.  
"It's all right." Veemon assures her with a smile.  
Yolei gives Veemon a long hug and thanks him.  
"Do you need any help here?" she finally offers.  
"We'll manage. Take care of Hawkmon." Davis tells her.  
Minutes later, Yolei is sitting in her mother's car together with Hawkmon.  
  
Renamon is jumping across the rooftops, cradling Gatomon in her arms.  
She stops when she feels Gatomon stir.  
Gatomon still has her eyes closed, but Renamon can feel the cat purr contently.  
She smiles when the cat snuggles against her chest fur.  
_I bet she's dreaming about her lover. She certainly does look happy._  
"You're so warm..." Gatomon sighs, still lost in her dream world.  
Renamon gently sits down, trying not to wake the little cat.  
"Oh Renamon..." Gatomon whispers, making Renamon frown.  
"Yeah?" she asks, not quite sure if Gatomon is really addressing her.  
Gatomon's eyes jerk open instantly.  
"Renamon!" she yelps, jumping away from the startled fox.  
"What's up? Did I disturb you?" Renamon asks her, still frowning.  
"I... I... I... Where are we?" Gatomon finally asks.  
Renamon can hear the nervousness in her voice. And she notices the sudden subject change, too.  
But she doesn't want to disturb the cat even more, so she plays along.  
"We're near your home." Renamon calmly replies as she stands up.  
Gatomon nods, but Renamon knows that she isn't listening.  
The cat has the same distant expression Ruki has had just after she got the flowers.  
"Are you able to walk?" Renamon asks after a while.  
"Huh? Oh... yeah. Yeah. I'm fine." Gatomon quickly answers.  
Renamon nods politely and motions the cat to lead the way.  
  
"What have you been thinking, Hawkmon?" Yolei shouts.  
She and Hawmon are inside Yolei's room. Her parents are busy in the shop.  
Hawkmon just frowns and stares at the floor. He is sitting on her bed while Yolei is pacing.  
"Have you been thinking at all?" she shouts when Hawkmon doesn't answer.  
"I'm sorry." Hawkmon whispers.  
"You could have killed him!"  
"I know. I know." Hawkmon sighs.  
The bird Digimon looks sorry. Yolei sighs and calms herself down.  
"Besides, how did you manage to beat him up without getting hurt?"  
Hawkmon looks up at her. Then he sighs and looks down again.  
"He didn't fight back." he admits.  
"Pardon me?"  
"He scratched me, tossed me, but nothing more. I did all the attacking."  
Yolei frowns. She can't imagine Veemon not countering the attacks.  
"He treated me as if I had one of the Dark Rings around my neck." Hawkmon sighs.  
Yolei sits down next to her partner and hugs him.  
"Shhh. It's all right. I understand." she whispers.  
Then she thinks about the state she found Hawkmon in.  
"So, if he didn't attack you, how did you end up unconscious?" she finally asks.  
Hawkmon instantly smiles happily.  
"Renamon came and stopped me. Then I told her that I love her." he tells Yolei.  
"Oh. And then she knocked you out?"  
Hawkmon giggles, but shakes his head.  
"She said that we don't really know each other, so I asked her out!"  
"And then she knocked you out?" Yolei insists.  
"She said YES! And then... then..."  
Hawkmon coughes politely.  
"...I fainted." he finally admits.  
  
Renamon and Gatomon jump through the open kitchen window, startling Mrs. Kamiya.  
They quickly apologize and head towards their rooms.  
Renamon is instantly greeted by a smiling Ruki.  
The girl gives the Digimon a long hug, surprising Renamon.  
Renamon sighs deeply.  
_It feels so wonderful. But it hurts to know that she is thinking of Davis and not of me._  
Renamon is ffeling like a substitute. Ruki isn't really hugging her.  
She would have hugged Guilmon if he had been there at that time.  
"Can't you do anything about it?" Kari asks from behind Renamon.  
Renamon turns her head while Ruki still embraces her.  
"Pardon?"  
"She's so... so..." Kari mutters, waving her arms.  
"Braindead? Yeah." Renamon helps out.  
"I mean, I'm happy for her, but she's completely lost..."  
Renamon nods and sighs. She wants Ruki to be happy. But not like this.  
"Ruki." she says firmly.  
Surprisingly, Ruki looks at her and cocks her head.  
"Renamon." she answers, still smiling like a happy zombie.  
_But at least she's listening. Sort of._  
"Your mother would be really proud of you. You've become just like she wanted you to be."  
Renamon almost loses her balance; Ruki has slapped her harder than expected.  
She can hear Kari gasp in the background.  
"It's all right, it's all right." Renamon quickly hisses at her.  
Then she faces Ruki again. Her Tamer is looking shocked, her hand is trembling.  
"R-Renamon?" she asks, her voice almost failing her.  
"Heartbreaker." Renamon whispers as she embraces Ruki.  
"What was that?" Kari asks with a wide eyes.  
"I'll explain later." Renamon whispers as she guides Ruki back into her room.  
  
_The things I do for that girl..._ Renamon thinks as she rubs her cheek.  
Ruki has hit her harder than she likes to admit.  
But at least Ruki has snapped out of this love-trance.  
"I'm sorry, Renamon." Ruki mutters.  
The girl is lying on her bed, with Renamon kneeling next to it.  
"It's all right. At least you're yourself again." Renamon whispers.  
"I acted like a fool, didn't I?"  
"Ummm... to be honest, yeah. But you were not alone."  
Ruki frowns, but patiently waits for an explanation.  
  
At the time Mrs. Kamiya has prepared lunch for the girls, Ruki is informed about the recent events.  
She has also learned that Tai and his father are currently in the DigiWorld.  
Ruki also notices that Kari is still frowning.  
"Everything all right?" Kari finally asks while they're eating.  
"Yeah. Sorry for acting so weird." Ruki mutters.  
"Why did you slap Renamon?" Gatomon asks, making Kari and Renamon cough.  
Renamon is already starting to stand up to teach the cat some manners, but Ruki shakes her head.  
"Renamon provoked that reaction. She knew I would react like this." she tells them.  
"Her mother wants Ruki to become a lady and maybe a famous model." Renamon adds.  
"Oh. And when she said that- Oh... I see...." Kari realizes.  
Just then Ruki remembers what had happened before Renamon came back.  
"Oh my." Ruki mutters, making Renamon's head turn in alarm.  
"What is it?" Renamon asks. concern showing on her face.  
"I just realized that I really behaved like a fool." she mutters.  
"Well, as long as you're-" Renamon starts to calm her down.  
"I just remembered that I agreed to date Davis." she continues and blushes.  
"Here we go again..." Renamon mutters, earning a light slap on the back of her head.  
  
"Davis. Could you please repeat that last part again?" Veemon asks.  
He is sitting with Davis at the kitchen table, his food long forgotten.  
"Huh?" Davis asks, looking at Veemon as if he had never seen him before.  
"Repeat. Part after 'Happy-happy-happy-joy'." Veemon answers deadpan.  
"She loves me! She loves me!" Davis shouts after a short pause.  
_That would be news._ Veemon tells himself, having not heard the latest news.  
"So... Did Kari actually tell you that she loves you?"  
Davis blinks and stares at his partner.  
"Kari?" he asks, startling Veemon.  
"Yeah. You know... Kari, love of your life? Ring any bells?"  
"Nah. She's happy with T.K." Davis tells him firmly.  
_OK. This must be some weird parallel universe where everybody has gone braindead._  
"Then who are you talking about? Oh no, don't tell me-"  
Davis nods enthusiastically.  
"Ruki is in love with me! And I'll date her tonight!" the boy shouts.  
Veemon strategically chooses this point to pass out.  
  
Yolei checks her watch again. Five p.m. One hour remaining.  
Then she looks at Hawkmon, who looks as if he has had too much coffee.  
"Geez, what if I mess up?"  
"Hawkmon." Yolei tries to interrupt him.  
"I love her, but if I disappoint her, I'll-"  
"Hawkmon!" Yolei snaps, tired of the continous worrying.  
Hawkmon freezes and turns to face her, looking surprised.  
"Hawkmon. You're a gentleman among the Digimon." she tells him.  
"But-but-but-" Hawkmon stutters, sounding like an old motor.  
"Just let that British charme do its work and be yourself." Yolei continues.  
Hawkmon sighs and sits down on the floor.  
"I guess you're right." he mutters.  
Yolei smiles and approaches her Digimon.  
"Here. You might need this." she says, handing him a small object.  
Hawkmon looks down at the object resting on his wing.  
"Isn't that your new credit card?" he asks, looking up at her.  
"Of course. Or how else did you plan to pay in the city?"  
The hawk thinks about that one.  
"Oh. I didn't really think about that..." he mutters.  
The he tucks the card into his headband. After a few tries the card is completely hidden.  
"Thanks. You're an angel." he whispers, giving her his perfect-gentleman-smile.  
  
Kari snickers as she takes the photo.  
Ruki and Renamon are sitting on the couch with blank faces.  
Both of them have their knees under their chins and bite their lower lips.  
They didn't even realize that Kari has photographed them.  
Still snickering, she turns around and walks into ther room.  
She freezes when she sees Gatomon.  
The cat is sitting on her bed in exactly the same position as Ruki and Renamon.  
_Boy, this is eerie._ Kari thinks and gulps.  
She starts towards her Digimon, but is interrupted by the doorbell and two yelps coming from the livingroom.  
"I'll get it." she sighs and turns around.  



	10. Lady in red

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise  
Part 10  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  
Notes:  
Whoa... This story has become much longer than planned.  
Tsk. Well, I'll just have to let some characters die to save some time.  
*silence*  
Oh boy. You actually believed that? Shame on you! ^_^  
No senseless dying in my fics!  
  


* * *

  
Renamon's head whirls around when she hears the doorbell.  
"I'll get it." Kari sighs and walks past her and Ruki.  
Her three-fingered paws nervously adjust her chest fur.  
_Geez. It's only Hawkmon. Relax._ she tells herself.  
But it's still her date. Not just a Digimon fight. Completely new terrain for her.  
_Relax. He'll probably be more nervous than you are._ her inner voice tells her.  
"Ruki? It's Davis." Kari calls from the front door.  
Renamon instantly relaxes while Ruki gasps.  
Her Tamer stands up and quickly adjusts her broken-heart shirt.  
During her first two steps she looks down at her jeans to make sure they're not dirty.  
Renamon also stands up and follows Ruki.  
At the front door, Ruki gasps again. Renamon frowns when she sees what's wrong.  
"Uhhh... Nice tuxedo, Davis..." Kari laughs nervously.  
Davis is wearing a black tuxedo and matching shoes.  
Renamon raises an eyebrow and looks again at Ruki.  
"I... I... I guess that's my fault. I was... well..." Davis stammers.  
"No... you're perfect... It's just that... God..." Ruki mutters, blushing.  
Renamon can sense that her Tamer is close to a nervous breakdown and decides to intervene.  
"Come right in Davis!" she says, trying to sound happy.  
"Ruki was just getting ready, I'm afraid we're a bit late." she continues as she steers Ruki out of the way.  
"But-But-" Ruki stutters.  
"Just a second, she'll be right back." Renamon tells Davis as she guides Ruki into her room.  
She closes the door behind her and sighs. Ruki looks ready to cry.  
"God, I messed everything up!" the Tamer whispers, her hands trembling.  
Renamon takes her shoulders and looks her straight in the eyes.  
"Ruki. I really need your card now." she says.  
"Which one?" Ruki asks, reaching for her card holder.  
"Not those cards!" Renamon snaps, startling the girl.  
"Credit card." the fox adds, softer this time.  
"What're you planing?" Ruki asks while handing Renamon the card.  
"There's a mall near the park. And I know your measurements."  
Not waiting for an answer, Renamon vanishes with a smile.  
  
Kari bites her lower lip while Davis patiently sits on the couch.  
_She doesn't have any dresses of any kind._ she remembers.  
She is slightly startled by the doorbell.  
Leaving Davis in the living room, Kari opens the door. As expected, it's Hawkmon.  
"Come in. Renamon's helping Ruki." she says and steps aside.  
Hawkmon looks just like usual, but his feathers look smoother than usual.  
_At least Digimon don't care for any dresscode._ Kari muses and curses Davis for this foolish act.  
"Renamon? Hawkmon's here." Kari shouts towards Ruki's door.  
"Ummm... She'll be there in a second..." Ruki shouts back.  
  
"Have I really been too early?" Davis asks Kari with a frown.  
"Not really. We... ummm... got delayed here. Sorry for that."  
Davis just shrugs and smiles. He looks happy just by being near Ruki.  
_What is taking them so long? They've been in there for ten minutes!_  
  
Renamon appears in Ruki's room and instantly frowns.  
Her little girl is crying, and it hurts her to see Ruki like this.  
She shakes her head and takes a quick look out of the door.  
Hawkmon is sitting next to Davis. Both are looking happy, but a little disappointed.  
_Time for action._ Renamon tells herself.  
"Okay Ruki. Cry-time is over." she firmly says, handing Ruki a large box.  
The girl stares at it in confusion.  
"You know how to put it on by yourself. Call Kari if you need help."  
Ruki blinks and starts to says something.  
"No protest. Don't forget, Davis is waiting." Renamon cuts her off.  
Then she quickly walks out of the room, knowing how Ruki will react when she opens the box.  
"Hawkmon!" Renamon brightly greets the polite featherball.  
Hawkmon is instantly on his feet and smiles.  
Davis looks at her in confusion.  
"Is Ruki-" he begins to ask.  
"She's as good as ready. Just as sec." Renamon tells him with a smile.  
Then she quickly leans over to Kari.  
"Do me a favor and take a photo of Ruki." she whispers into the girl's ear.  
Before anybody can react, she literally drags Hawkmon out.  
Just as she closes the door, she can hear Ruki.  
"RENAMON! YOU'LL PAY!"  
"I love my timing." Renamon sighs as she is officially out of range.  
Then she looks at Hawkmon. The bird is simply looking at her with dreamy eyes.  
  
Five minutes later, Kari can hear Ruki open the door.  
She turns to face Ruki and almost loses her balance.  
"Holy..." Davis mutters when he sees what Kari is seeing.  
Ruki slowly walks out of her room, wearing a shoulderless evening dress.  
It consists of one piece and reaches down to her feet. Sort of.  
Kari notices that there is a cut at the right side reaching up to her thigh.  
The dress seems to be made of silk and is colored dark red.  
Ruki is also wearing a matching purse and high-heeled shoes.  
Then Kari realizes that the girl is wearing her hair at shoulder length.  
_I bet Renamon did some shopping._ Kari tells herself.  
By now, Davis has also recovered and is approaching the goddess formerly known as Ruki.  
_She could have anybody looking like this._ Kari realizes.  
"You look perfect, Ruki." she tells the girl, who blushes slightly.  
Then she remembers Renamon's order.  
"Could I take a photo please?" Kari quickly begs.  
"If you insist." Ruki answers shyly.  
Kari makes half a dozen photos just to be on the safe side.  
Then she takes as many photos of Ruki and Davis standing next to each other.  
At the end, she quickly checks the memory of the camera and nods.  
"Perfect." she tells the smiling couple.  
  
"Have a nice evening!" Kari says and waves her hand as Davis and Ruki walk out of the door.  
Then she closes the door and sighs. That had been too close.  
Ruki should be grateful for having a Digimon partner such as Renamon.  
Then she smiles as she realizes that everything has become perfect since these Tamers appeared.  
Still smiling she enters her room, having completely forgotten Gatomon's mood.  
Her smile becomes a frown when she sees her partner in a curled up position on the bed.  
"Gatomon?" she quietly asks, not sure whether the cat is slepping or not.  
"Are they gone?" Gatomon asks flatly.  
Kari sits down next to her Digimon and starts stroking her fur.  
"What's up?" she asks softly. She can feel that Gatomon is in a very bad mood.  
"You wouldn't understand." Gatomon mumbles into her fur.  
"Gatomon. I'm your partner. If anything is wrong, you can tell me."  
"It's just... I think I'm in love." Gatomon finally sighs.  
Kari slows her stroking as she tries to see the problem.  
"Well... that's wonderful, isn't it?" she finally asks.  
Gatomon jumps up, startling the DigiDestined.  
"It's NOT wonderful! It's impossible!" Gatomon yells frantically.  
Then she hops out of the window, leaving a startled Kari behind.  
  
Renamon snickers when she hears the whispered comments.  
Hawkmon has brought her into a fine restaurant in the city.  
It must be the first time that two Digimon came here to eat.  
"What's up?" Hawkmon asks, cocking his head.  
"Let's put it this way: We're the center of attention." Renamon answers with a grin.  
"Well, you certainly deserve all the attention in the world" Hawkmon whispers.  
Renamon smiles warmly when she hears that.  
But deep inside, she remembers the look Gatomon's face when they had left.  
_She had looked so sad._ Renamon remembers.  
And the fox with the yin-yang-gloves has a vague idea what has caused this sadness.  
  
Ruki smiles as Davis tells her some stories about his adventures.  
He has wisely chosen not to bore her with details of fights.  
Instead, he tells her about the moments of joy. About happiness. Friendship.  
Ruki nods, suddenly feeling the weight of her D-Arc inside her purse.  
The device itself isn't heavy. And the cards also don't weigh that much.  
But Ruki knows that she is feeling guilty. The feeling grows stronger when Davis tells her about Veemon.  
"I think our partners reveal the best sides in us." Davis suddenly says.  
Ruki frowns and gives him a questioning look.  
The other people in the restaurant could think he said something wrong.  
"Well, Veemon taught me to stand up and fight. Even if the odds were against us."  
She slowly nods, thinking about the remarks.  
"I've heard similar stories of the others. Yolei. Cody. And of course Ken." he adds.  
"Why did you highlight Ken?" Ruki asks, not knowing the entire story yet.  
"Oh. That's actually how it all started for us. Ken has been known as the Digimon Kaiser."  
Ruki frowns, being reminded of her own nickname in her world.  
Davis continues to tell Ruki about the evil things the Kaiser had done.  
"He didn't realize that Digimon had feelings until it had been too late." Davis mutters.  
"Too late? What happened?" Ruki asks, feeling hollow and somehow even guilty.  
"Wormmon died in his arms. It made Ken see things as they were."  
Ruki gulps.  
_Renamon must have the same impression of me. The Digimon Queen. Treating Digimon as fighting machines._  
Of course, she knows that she has changed. Hasn't she?  
"Hey, what's the matter? You look so unhappy." Davis whispers when he sees her expression.  
_I have changed. Renamon helped me. The whole time. And I never even thanked her._  
"It's... nothing. You're right. Our Digimon reveal our best traits." she finally says.  
She smiles at the boy in the tux. The Digimon Queen really stayed in her own world.  
  
_Davis is happy. Ruki is happy. Hawkmon is happy. Renamon is happy._  
He sighs as he walks through the park. Most people have already left.  
The few who are still there remain in the open, staring at the full moon.  
But not Veemon. He is walking through the small patch of forest and sighs.  
_Everybody's happy. Except for me._  
He continues his walk through the darkness.  
_Davis has given up his quest for Kari's love. Maybe I should do the same._  
Veemon frowns.  
_Gatomon is in love with Patamon. Like it or not._ he tells himself.  
His thoughts are interrupted by a tree that hits the ground some meters away.  
"WATCH IT!" he yells at the darkness.  
_Who'd cut a tree at night?_ he briefly wonders.  
Then he can make out a small figure walking out of some bushes.  
"Veemon?" he can hear a familiar voice call him.  
"Gatomon?" Veemon asks back, not quite believing this.  
_Gatomon cut a tree with her bare claws. Is that how she trains?_ he wonders.  
"Did she send you after me?" the white cat suddenly hisses.  
"For once, I've not been looking for you. And nobody sent me." he tells her.  
Gatomon sighs and Veemon realizes how depressed the Digimon looks.  
"You all right?" he asks in genuine concern.  
"Why do all of you keep asking that?" Gatomon shouts, tears flowing freely.  
Veemon gasps. He has never seen Gatomon like that. She looks hurt. But hurt on the inside.  
"Sorry. If you want me to leave, I'll understand." he whispers and turns around.  
He has made two steps when he can hear her voice.  
"No. Please stay. I could use somebody to talk to." the snow-white cat admits.  



	11. Moment of peace

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise  
Part 11  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
_"I could use somebody to talk to."_  
The words echo in Veemon's mind. His eyes slowly drift to the fallen tree.  
"O...kay..." he slowly answers, trying not to sweat.  
They wander through the forest in silence. Veemon patiently waits for Gatomon to make her move.  
He wouldn't hurry her. She looks disturbed enough already. She'd tell him when she is ready.  
"Things have been quite wild since their arrival, huh?" she finally asks.  
He nods and smiles. She doesn't have to say who she is hinting at. It's clear to them.  
"Wild is the best word to describe it." he answers after a while.  
He carefully watches her reaction. He is surprised when he realizes that her smile is faked.  
Her smile could have fooled any other person or Digimon exept Kari, of course.  
But Veemon has spent all his free time gazing at Gatomon. He knows her expressions.  
Still he remains passive and waits for her to continue.  
"How was it? I mean, kissing her." Gatomon suddenly asks.  
The fighter of courage and friendship almost gets a heart attack.  
His mind kicks into overdrive, unsure which way to answer.  
In the time of an eyeblink, he reviews a hundred answers. All of them are flawed somehow.  
"It felt... nice." he finally answers, letting his heart decide what to say.  
She stares him into the eyes, not showing any kind of reaction.  
"On the other hand, I guess that everybody's first kiss feels... nice." he adds.  
She raises one of her eyebrows when he says that.  
"That had been your first kiss?" she asks him in a surprised tone.  
"Hey, who should I have kissed except for... you?"  
She blushes when she hears his last remark.  
Normally Veemon would have moved on on this path. Maybe Gatomon would...  
But no. They're not on a date. Gatomon just needs a friend to talk to.  
And Veemon would never fail his Gatomon. Whatever she asked him to do.  
Still he has to ask her one question.  
"While we're at it. How was your first kiss?" he asks, hoping not to disturb her.  
Her eyes seem to be fixed on some distant spot for a second. Then she shakes her head.  
"There hasn't been a first kiss yet." she finally answers, giving Veemon his second heart attack.  
"What? You want to tell me that you and Patamon never..." he gasps.  
Gatomon just shakes her head.  
"Trust me. He would have told you so if there had been a kiss." she tells him.  
_Makes sense._ the blue Rookie thinks.  
Still he can't imagine that Gatomon has never kissed another Digimon before.  
Then he notices that Gatomon frowns. Again, it's almost invisible. But it's there.  
_So it's about her love life. Has she made up her mind? What if she chose Patamon?_  
He clears his mind from thoughts like these. If Gatomon has chosen, he would accept it.  
Although the forest might be a little roughed up the next morning...  
"No. I haven't chosen yet." she says, having obviously read his body language.  
"In fact, that's what is worrying me..." she adds, frowning visibly.  
She seems to be lost in her own thoughts for a while. Then she shakes her head again.  
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't bother you with this. It's... wrong." she quickly tells him.  
Before Veemon has a chance to think of an answer, Gatomon jumps into the darkness.  
He stands there for some minutes, thinking about her last sentences.  
Finally he starts to leave, lost in his own thoughts.  
Unaware of the sad pair of eyes watching him go.  
Not knowing that Gatomon had lied when she told him that she hadn't chosen yet.  
  
It's almost midnight when Ruki arrives at the Kamiya's door.  
The evening has been perfect. Maybe her mother hasn't been completely wrong after all.  
"Well, I guess this is it then." Davis says and laughs nervously.  
"Yeah..." Ruki mutters, her facing blushing until it has the same tone of red her dress has.  
Both teenagers stand there for a while trying to avoid each other's eyes.  
"Oh for the sake of it." Ruki suddenly mutters.  
Before Davis has a chance of asking, Ruki embraces him tightly and plants her lips on his.  
She can feel Davis' face get warmer, the boy is obviously blushing like mad.  
Ruki can't see it, her eyes are closed while she passionately kisses the boy. Her friend. Her love.  
She can feel Davis hands on her back. Ruki decides to keep the upper hand a little longer.  
Her right hand crawls up, ruffling Davis' hair and effectively locking his head in the current position.  
She lets the kiss last for a while, enjoying every millisecond of it.  
Then, finally, she backs away, smiling impishly.  
Davis gasps, obviously trying not to pass out here and now.  
"Holy..." he mutters when he has enough air to speak again.  
"Thanks. That has been the best evening in all my life." Ruki whispers as she hushes inside.  
As she closes the door behind her, she giggles.  
She knows that Davis mind is currently out of order.  
The boy has already been in love. Now he's mad about her.  
He'd do anything just to see her again.  
_And I'd do anything for another evening with him._ she quickly admits to herself.  
That kiss has sealed his fate. She has seen the little TILT-signs in his eyes.  
_Yes. This evening has really been perfect._ she thinks, still giggling.  
  
Ruki enters her room, feeling tired now that Davis is gone.  
She yawns and approaches her bed, not bothering to switch on the lights.  
_Too tired to change my clothes. Just sleep._ she tells herself.  
Besides, Ruki really likes the feeling of silk on her body.  
Facing her bed, she makes a mental note to praise Renamon the next morning.  
Then she notices the movement in front of her face. Left. Right. Left. Right.  
She follows the movement of the white object for a while.  
Then she is aware what she is doing and jumps back.  
Gasping, she sees the the object is in fact Renamon's white tail-tip.  
Her Digimon is lying on her belly in her bed. Her bed. Ruki's bed.  
Ruki already wants to protest when she notices that Renamon isn't even looking at her.  
The fox simply stares out of the window, her tail moving lazily.  
"Renamon." Ruki flatly calls her Digimon.  
Renamon's head whirls around in terror.  
"Ruki! How did- When-" she stammers, literally leaping out of the bed.  
"How was your date?" Ruki asks.  
Renamon had not even noticed her coming! Something must be very wrong.  
"What's on your mind?" Ruki inquires, crossing her arms in front of her chest.  
The she looks down at herself and realizes that she doesn't look quite that menacing in a dress.  
"Nothing. I've just been watching the moon." Renamon avoids her question.  
"Nice try." Ruki mutters.  
She waits. Something is on Renamon's mind and Ruki deserves to know it.  
Renamon is her Digimon. And Ruki has every right to know what-  
Ruki blinks as she realizes that she has switched back to her Ice Queen behaviour again.  
She looks down at Renamon and frowns. The slender fox avoids her eyes, looking very uncomfortable.  
Ruki knows that the Digimon would tell her if she waited a little longer.  
Renamon is completely loyal to her. She would answer if Ruki forced her to.  
_"He didn't realize that Digimon had feelings until it had been too late."_  
Davis' words seem to haunt her. But the DigiDestined has been right.  
_Renamon has feelings. And I should respect them._  
"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it." Ruki breaks the silence.  
She gently puts one hand on Renamon's shoulder and smiles at her surprised partner.  
"If you feel like talking, I'll be there for you."  
Renamon blinks and smiles, too. And Ruki somehow feels better. Renamon looks truly happy.  
"Thanks. I really appreciate that." Renamon whispers.  
The fox then curls up on her small blanket and seems to doze off.  
_Renamon is my partner. Not my tool. Not my weapon._ she realizes, thanking Davis for this lesson.  
Ruki sighs and decides to change her clothes to avoid any more wrinkles.  
Then she lies down and closes her eyes.  
"By the way... How was the kiss?" she can hear Renamon ask quietly.  
"Perfect. Thanks for- Waitasecond!" Ruki answers, then protests.  
She sits up and can hear Renamon snicker in her curled up position.  
_That fox tricked me! She'll pay for that!_ Ruki tells herself and smiles.  
"How'd you know?" she finally asks.  
"His aftershave is all over you. Especially on your face." Renamon mutters, still snickering.  
_Why did I have to get the talking bloodhound?_ Ruki wonders, trying not to giggle.  
  
"Yolei." Hawkmon sighs, standing at Yolei's bed.  
It's way past midnight, but Hawkmon can't wait any longer.  
The young girl slowly wakes up and blinks. Then she gets her glasses and switches on the lights.  
"Hawkmon?" she asks him, looking around.  
"Yes. I have to talk to you." the bird tells her, sighing again.  
Yolei seems to realize that something is wrong, because she sits up and cocks her head.  
"It's about Renamon." Hawkmon finally admits.  
"If you woke me just to tell me that you love her, you're in real trouble."  
He shakes his head and frowns.  
"I do love her. But..." his voice trails off.  
"She told you she doesn't love you?" Yolei asks, gently stroking his feathered head.  
"Not directly. The evening has been nice, she thanked me and all. But... Well..."  
Yolei waits patiently. Hawkmon tries to find the right words.  
"She seemed so... absent. As if her thoughts where somewhere else."  
"Excuse me, I don't quite see your problem." Yolei mutters, having checked her watch.  
Hawkmon sighs. Yolei is right, from her point of view.  
"Guess I'm hust disappointed that she didn't tell me that she loves me." he whispers.  
"Yeah. Ken has just been that way, too." Yolei tries to cheer him up.  
"Right. But somehow... I have the feeling that there will be trouble."  
Yolei hugs him and holds him close.  
"Don't worry. We've been in trouble before." she tells him.  
But Hawkmon doubts that everything will be fine in the end.  
  
"Mornin'" Ruki greets Kari and the two Digimon.  
It's almost lunch time, but Ruki has just woken up.  
"I knew you'd look adorable in that dress." Renamon tells her instantly.  
"It's perfect. Thank you." Ruki says, trying not to blush before lunch.  
"Then I'll have to disappoint you." Kari states, making Ruki frown.  
"Casual clothing on your next date." the DigiDestined continues.  
Ruki gives Renamon a questioning look.  
"T.K. just called. He proposed a rather large date." Renamon tries to summarize it.  
"T.K., Davis, Ken, Yolei, you and me. And our Digimon." Kari explains.  
"Davis' Mom has heard of a fancy new restaurant in the city." Gatomon adds.  
"Sounds great to me. When are we going?" Ruki asks brightly.  
"Tonight. We'll meet at the restaurant." Kari tells her.  
  
_Oh joy. Veemon, Patamon, Renamon and me in one place. Terrific._  
Gatomon makes a mental note to claw Davis' eyes out at the first possible moment.  
True, she has made her decision, but she is afraid of the consequences.  
_All of us are good friends. But I might summon a catastrophe._ she thinks.  
She sighs, earning a curious look from Renamon which almost makes her sigh again.  
  
_What's so special about her?_ Renamon asks herself.  
Her date with Hawkmon had been nice. Hawkmon has been the perfect gentleman.  
Still Renamon couldn't help but think about Gatomon.  
The tall fox tries to think of something else. Of anything but the snow-white cat.  
It doesn't work. Renamon could cry at the sight of the sad Gatomon.  
_Could this be... No. No. Don't even think about it, Renamon!_ she scolds herself.  
  
"OK. Tell me what we've got." the tactical supervisor asks his assistant.  
"We've got three helicopters, half a dozen tanks and two dozen troopers. Sir." the assistant answers.  
"Transport for the Subjects?" the supervisor asks.  
"Three specially modified trucks for the primary subjects and an APC for the secondary ones."  
The supervisor nods and looks at the 12 names on his list.  
"Six Digimon. Six humans. And we still have three days for the others." he muses.  
"Do you want me to prepare the capture of the remaining subjects, sir?"  
"No. Not yet. First things first."  
_The boss will be pleased._ he tells himself.  



	12. War

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise  
Part 12  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
Spectre 3 for Tactical.  
"This is Tactical." the tactical supervisor speaks into the radio.  
Subject Three has left the house.  
"Got it, Spectre 3. Continue as planned."  
_Very well. That was the last one._  
"Tactical for Team Leaders. Status?"  
This is Eagle 1. We're in position.  
Hammer 1 here, sir. Ready to party.  
Striker 1. All teams are set.  
"Sir? May I talk to you for a minute?" he hears somebody speak up.  
He turns to face the surveillance teams known as Spectres.  
All of them are here except for Spectre 3, who has been watching Veemon and that Motomiya-kid.  
Spectre 4, who has watched Hawkmon and the girl, has stepped out of the group.  
"Go ahead." the tactical supervisor nods.  
"Sir. Do you really think this is the best method to deal with them?" Spectre 4 asks.  
"Are there any objections?"  
"Well... These creatures have saved the world. Are you sure this is enough?"  
The supervisor laughs at that.  
"We have three helicopters, six tanks and two dozen troopers against six... animals!"  
Spectre 4 looks as if wants to say something else, but simply sighs.  
"Just for the record: I think this plan will fail." he finally says.  
The supervisor nods. He is used to the usual last-minute concerns.  
  
"Sorry!" Davis shouts when he finally arrives.  
"You're late." Yolei mutters.  
"Who cares?" Ruki tells her with a dreamy smile.  
"And she behaved like that all the time?" T.K. asks Kari with a frown.  
"Worse." Kari answers, smiling at the boy.  
"Just like Yolei." Ken snickers.  
"You don't know half of it." Hawkmon whispers.  
"Well, let's just enter now that everyone's here." Renamon proposes.  
Ruki and Davis open the door to the restaurant and enter, followed by their Digimon.  
A waiter quickly approaches them and frowns.  
"Excuse me?" he asks, blocking their way in.  
"Good evening. We've booked a table for twelve. For Motomiya." Davis tells the man.  
The waiter looks at the group and frowns. Then he laughs nervously.  
"Sir, I am afraid that we cannot tolerate animals in here." he finally whispers.  
There is a stunned silence. Davis can hear Renamon snarls quietly.  
"What's wrong, Renamon?" Hawkmon asks, having not heard the waiter.  
"He said that Digimon are not welcome here." Renamon says loud enough for anybody to hear.  
Davis looks at Ruki, who just stares at the waiter.  
"What now?" he quietly asks the group.  
"I say we go somewhere else." Yolei shouts.  
"No." Veemon surprises the group.  
"But Veemon, they don't allow-" Davis tries to explain the problem again.  
"I know. But you won't find a table for twelve at this time anywhere." Veemon answers.  
"He's right. Just enjoy the evening, we'll wait outside." Renamon adds softly.  
"Sounds great. We'll be nearby." Patamon says happily.  
"If you're willing to do that..." Ken whispers with a smile.  
"Of course. Besides, we'd just be in your way." Wormmon laughs.  
  
"So we saved the world just to be treated like animals?" Hawkmon asks when they're outside.  
"Hm. Humans are afraid of what they don't know." Gatomon answers with a frown.  
"Xenophobia." Patamon mutters.  
"And what do we do now? We can't just stand here for the rest of the evening." Wormmon asks.  
The Digimon take a look around.  
"Let's just walk a bit." Gatomon finally mutters.  
The group agrees and starts to move.  
They have walked almost twenty meters when they can hear footsteps coming from around the corner.  
Many footsteps. Running.  
The Digimon stop moving and cock their heads in anticipation.  
Seconds later, a large group of men charges around the corner.  
Each man is armed with some kind of rifle and is wearing a padded uniform.  
The six Digimon take a step backwards when the troopers raise their weapons.  
"FREEZE!" one of them shouts.  
"Let me guess: Xenophobia?" Veemon quietly asks.  
"No. This is worse. We have to get help." Gatomon whispers back.  
"What's this all about?" Veemon shouts at the troopers.  
"We have big plans for you and your friends, lizard." another Troopers answers.  
"That does it. I'll tell our partners we're in trouble." Renamon whispers.  
"Don't! They'll shoot you as soon as you move!" Hawkmon tells her.  
"Don't worry. But prepare for a fight." Renamon says.  
Before anybody can answer, the slender fox is gone.  
  
Trooper 1 for Tactical! Trooper 1 for Tactical!  
"What is it?" the supervisor asks with a frown.  
He can tell that something is wrong.  
Subject Two has disappeared!  
"Where did it go?"  
Unknown. It simply VANISHED.  
  
Ruki studies the menu. Everything sounds tasty.  
_If only Renamon could be here, too._ she thinks.  
"RUKI!" Renamon shouts at her, appearing right next to her.  
Some of the guests (including the DigiDestined) yelp in surprise.  
"Renamon? I didn't mean to-" Ruki answers, thinking that she summoned the fox accidently.  
"We're in trouble! Troopers with weapons! Come quickly!"  
Before Ruki can reply anything, Renamon is gone again.  
_What has happened?_ Ruki asks herself as she follows the others outside.  
  
The Digimon are startled by Renamon's sudden re-appearance.  
But not as startled as the troopers are.  
"Sir! It's here again! And the kids are coming! SIR!" their leader shouts.  
Gatomon guesses that he has a radio hidden in his helmet.  
"Understood, sir." he mutters after a pause.  
Then he raises he weapon again.  
"All right! You'll come with us or we will fire!" he shouts at the Digimon.  
"No way." Veemon mutters.  
"You're right." Gatomon hisses and flexes her claws.  
The others mutter their approval.  
"But we do need a little help." Patamon reminds them.  
"Davis! It's time!" Veemon shouts.  
  
"Time?" Ruki asks, looking around.  
All around her, the DigiDestined nod and take out their DigiVices.  
_What are they planning? The can't slash a card, so what-_  
"Digi-Armor energize!" Kari, T.K., Davis and Yolei shout in unison.  
  
Renamon is startled be the sudden light around her.  
_They're... digivolving!_ she realizes with a hint of shame.  
Then she hears the troops ready their weapons.  
_Damn. They need time!_ Renamon thinks and knows what to do.  
She charges at the troopers, trying to buy some seconds.  
Renamon knows that this is the most idiotic tactic ever.  
But it serves its purpose since the troopers are now dealing with an enemy at close range.  
The punch and kick, not daring to use their weapons since they might hit their buddies.  
Finally she is clubbed away again, hitting the ground between the Digimon and the troopers.  
"-Flamedramon, the fire of courage!"  
"-Shurimon, the samurai of sincerity!"  
"-Stingmon!"  
"-Pegasusmon, the flying hope!"  
"-Nefertimon, the angel of light!"  
Renamon is instantly surrounded by the digivolved Digimon.  
"Thanks." Shurimon whispers.  
The gloved fox stands up again, shaking her head.  
"Our first battle against humans." Nefertimon mutters.  
"Try not to hurt them." Flamedramon orders.  
Just then, a bullet bounces off Stingmon's body.  
"I'm fine." Stingmon instantly tells the group.  
"Maybe they'll realize that we're stronger and retreat." Pegasusmon hopes.  
Their hope is shattered when the ground starts to vibrate.  
"There! Something's heading our way back there!" Stingmon shouts.  
Renamon's eyes become slits as she tries to focus on the newcomers.  
"Those are... TANKS!" she shouts when she can make out the shapes.  
  
"They're turning this into a war!" Yolei shouts.  
All around them, people are running out of the houses.  
"But why?" Ken asks frantically.  
"Who cares? They're shooting at our Digimon!" Ruki yells.  
"Look! I think they want to fight back!" T.K. interrupts them.  
The children gasp when they realize that T.K. has been right.  
  
"I'll deal with the tanks. Try to chase the troopers away." Flamedramon orders.  
"I'm with you." Renamon tells him, earning herself a surprised look.  
"Think of it. I'm an easy target for the small arms. And I'm not armored." she explains.  
"Very well. Then go!" Shurimon shouts as he jumps at the troopers.  
"Ruki!" Renamon yells as she dashes past the troopers together with Flamedramon.  
The humans are obviously startled by the sudden change in behaviour.  
Some of them try to fire at Shurimon, some target Flamedramon, who covers Renamon.  
In a few split seconds, the situation has turned into a chaotic fight.  
"Card slash - Heavy Metal!"  
Renamon smiles as she feels the weight of the impact hammer at her right paw.  
She jumps at one of the tanks and lands with her weapon arm through some layers of armor.  
"Fire Rocket!" Flamedramon shouts as he melts away a part of another tank.  
  
Nefertimon and Pegasusmon fly through the group of humans.  
Some of the troopers react as planned and drop to the ground, throwing the weapons away in panic.  
Stingmon and Shurimon deal with the others, tackling and kicking them.  
  
_"I think this plan will fail."_  
The words of Spectre 4 seem to haunt the supervisor.  
He is watching the spectacle on his monitors.  
_Six tanks, taken out by two animals! And the troopers are fleeing, too._  
Eagle 1 for Tactical.  
The supervisor picks up his radio, still staring at the monitors.  
"What is it." he mutters.  
Sir, should we join the fight?  
"Negative. That battle is lost. Escort the secondary subjects."  
At least that part of the plan had worked.  
  
The tanks have been reduced to smoking debris.  
Renamon watches the crew run away in terror and smiles.  
She turns around and sees that the other four Digimon are dealing with the last troopers.  
"We made it. And no casualties." Flamedramon whispers proudly.  
"Thanks to our partners." Renamon says and points at...  
...at...  
...at...  
"Where are they?" Renamon whispers, looking for the group of children.  
By now the others have noticed the absence of their partners, too.  
Everybody shouts for their DigiDestined, but nobody answers.  
"Could that have been part of their plan?" Flamedramon asks her, concern showing on his face.  
Renamon snarls and disappears.  
  
"Where are they taking us?" Kari asks.  
She looks at the others who are sitting with her in the armored van.  
"I don't know. But they'll regret it." T.K. growls.  
They had been surprised by some armed men who had dragged them away.  
The Digimon were too busy to notice the quick action.  
"Let's hope our Digimon have realized that-"  
Davis is interrupted when the van suddenly moves erratically.  
They can hear a hollow sound, as if the van has hit something.  
"Where'd that thing come from?" the driver yells.  
"Looks like a fox mutant!" his partner shouts.  
"I can see that! It's clinged to the front window!"  
"Renamon!" Ruki whispers with wide eyes.  
_She must've appeared right in front of the van!_ she realizes in terror.  
"You drive, I'll shoot it!" the partner of the driver yells.  
"No!" Ruki shouts, hammering against the steel plate seperating them from the driver.  
  
_Did you forget your brain at home?_ Renamon scolds herself.  
She had chosen to appear in front of the van, hoping that it would stop.  
Maybe it would have worked, but Renamon hadn't thought of the momentum of the van.  
Her entire body hurts from the impact, but Renamon has manages not to fall off.  
Then she sees the man with the gun leaning out of a window.  
  
Ruki almost collapses when she hears the sharp crack of a gun.  
"Got it!" one of the men cheers.  
"RENAMON!" she cries.  
It's over.  



	13. Aftermath

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise  
Part 13  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
_It's over._ Renamon thinks as she faces the gun.  
Then she feels the sharp pain in her body.  
Suddenly she lacks the strength to hold on. To fight. To save Ruki.  
_I've failed you._ Renamon thinks as she drops towards the gound.  
She has somehow managed to land next to and not in front of the van.  
But it would change nothing. Renamon can feel the wound, and it feels lethal.  
She hits the ground knowing that Ruki would be disappointed by her.  
As she skids over the ground, she remembers the various times Ruki has urged her to grow strong.  
_"Even that bunnydog has managed to digivolve!"_  
_"what use is a Digimon that can't digivolve?"_  
_"You have to get stronger!"_  
_"I won't tolerate a lost fight."_  
Then she remembers another thing Ruki said.  
_"I'll be there for you."_  
And Renamon can feel the change. Ruki has accepted her as a partner.  
The feeling gives Renamon new strength. She can feel the new power of something new.  
The power of friendship.  
"I won't fail you!" she yells, still skidding over the ground.  
  
"RENAMON!" Ruki yells, crying openly.  
The others gasp when they notice the sudden glow coming from Ruki's D-Arc.  
Ruki looks at the device in wonder.  
  
"Renamon digivolve to..."  
The fox can feel her body change. Grow stronger.  
She would never fail her Tamer.  
Never.  
"...Kyubimon!" the golden nine-tailed fox shouts, landing on her feet.  
Her powerful legs help her jump onto a smaller house.  
Kyubimon then jumps from rootop to rooftop, easily passing the van.  
The driver has obviously not noticed her yet. That would change.  
She hops off one roof and gracefully lands on the road again.  
The van is almost fifty meters away, giving her al the time in the world.  
"Fox Tail Inferno!" she commands, her nine tails sending flames at the van.  
Six flames burn away the wheels of the van while the other three bathe the front window in blue fire.  
The disabled van skids to a halt mere meters way from her.  
Two humans jump out of it and run away, screaming madly.  
Just then, Kyubimon notices the helicopters.  
  
"Nefertimon! Look over there! Helicopters!" Pegasusmon shouts.  
The two Digimon are flying over the rooftops, looking for their partners.  
Nefertimon nods when she sees the three helicopters.  
"They must be- WHOA!" she shouts.  
Pegasusmon's eyes widen. A large blue dragon-shaped flame engulfs one of the helicopters.  
The crew had barely enough time to jump out before their vehicle becomes dragon-bait.  
  
Eagle 2 for ANYBODY! Eagle 1 got vaporized!  
"What was the last part?" the supervisor asks, not believing his ears.  
Eagle 1 is toast! A dragon-thing-flame ate it!  
The supervisor curses.  
"Tactical for anybody who is able to hear me. Retreat. I repeat. Fall back!"  
  
Kyubimon lands on her padded feet.  
Ruki would love that Dragon Wheel attack.  
_Ruki!_ her mind snaps back to attention as the other helicopters fly away.  
She runs to the back of the damaged van.  
The rear doors are locked and Kyubimon can hear muffled voices behind it.  
_They're all right._ she thinks and sighs.  
Then she uses her front paws to take care of the puny lock.  
Seconds later the doors fly open and reveal the DigiDestined and her Ruki.  
_She has cried._ Kyubimon instantly realizes.  
The girl looks at her in wonder.  
"Are you... You are..." she whispers, crawling out of the van.  
"Kyubimon. I digivolved just as we always wished."  
Ruki gives the large Digimon a hug, almost strangling the Champion.  
"I was so afraid I might lose you." she whispers.  
"I would have died without your help." Kyubimon softly admits.  
  
A short while later, the Police arrives at the scene.  
The Digimon stay near their partners, not wanting to risk anything.  
Kyubimon has become Renamon again, using some of excess energy to heal the wounds.  
Renamon would have hated showing Ruki the large wound caused by the bullet.  
The Chief of the Police approaches them. He is joined by the mayor.  
"The troopers we caught told us who they work for." the Chief tells them.  
"Who is responsible for this?" Davis asks boldly.  
"It's a large arms company. I'd guess they wanted to analyse your... friends."  
Ruki instantly draws Renamon closer.  
"The problem is that we can get them only for kidnapping." the Chief says.  
"What about the attack?" Renamon asks.  
"At the moment, the law sees you as animals. Game." the mayer tells them.  
"The law to protect you in your special status has been passed, though." the Chief adds.  
"Then why-" Kari asks, but the mayor holds up his hand.  
"It will become official in three days." he tells them.  
The children look at their partners.  
"What about self-defense?" T.K. asks.  
The mayor smiles, having understood the boy's real question.  
"Well, at the moment the Digimon count as wild animals." he replies.  
"Everybody may hunt. But at their own risk." the Chief adds.  
"Good to know." Renamon whispers.  
"But you should be aware that you're responsible for how the people see you." the mayor reminds them.  
"We don't want another battle like this." Ken tells the men.  
"Let's stay at home for a few days." Davis proposes.  
"Yeah. A short vacation after all that trouble." Gatomon says.  
"Did the fight drain you so much?" Hawkmon asks with a grin.  
"She has been talking about the trouble of the last few days." Renamon tells him.  
"At least we're safe at home. Thanks to your men." Kari says, ignoring the bickering.  
The two adults give her blank looks.  
"She meant the men who are keeping an eye on us." Ruki explains.  
"I haven't ordered anything like that." the mayor says and frowns.  
"And my men haven't been there neither." the Chief of the Police says.  
"Oh. Then... just ignore that we mentioned them." Renamon tells the men.  
_"Everybody may hunt. But at their own risk."_ she remembers.  
  
The next morning, Kari and Ruki pet their poor Digimon.  
"Let me guess. Gatomon didn't get any sleep either." Ruki mutters.  
"Nope. She has been determined to guard me." Kari answers.  
"Dito here." Ruki whispers, gently stroking Renamon's fur.  
"They're on the roof again." Gatomon suddenly mutters.  
Ruki can feel Renamon flex her muscles.  
"The same people as last time?" Ruki asks, trying not to look out of the window.  
_Do anything, but don't let them know you see them._ Renamon had told her.  
Renamon opens her eyes briefly.  
"Same uniform, other people." she whispers.  
Kari sighs.  
"Just a few more days." she tries to calm everybody down.  
Renamon stands up and walks towards a spot where the men couldn't see her.  
"No. This has to end. Here and now." she says.  
"I'll help-" Gatomon tells her.  
"No. Stay here in case anything happens. Please." Renamon interrupts her.  
Ruki just nods. And Renamon disappears.  
  
"Our predecessors have been too soft." the new Spectre 1 says.  
"Yeah. Chickened out just because one mission failed." the new Spectre 2 answers.  
Spectre 1 looks through his binoculars.  
"We'll get them soon enough. This law will be too late. Right?" he mutters.  
He stares into the kitchen where the two girls are still sitting.  
"Right?" he asks, waiting for an answer.  
He frowns when he still gets none.  
Spectre 1 drops his binoculars and faces Spectre 2.  
"What the-" he mutters when he sees his buddy lying on the roof.  
"Oh, I'm afraid he passed out." a female voice tells him.  
He faces it and instantly raises his rifle.  
"The fox!" he yells, aiming at the yellow figure standing a few meters away.  
"You belong to this company that attacked us yesterday, right?" the beast asks.  
_Spectre 2 is unconscious. And that monster will pay._  
He pulls the trigger.  
*click*  
*click*  
*click*  
Spectre 1 blinks in surprise.  
"Missing something?" the monster asks, holding up an ammo clip.  
No, not an ammo clip. His ammo clip.  
"If I ever see you again, you are dead. The same goes for your buddies." the fox hisses.  
Spectre 1 gulps. He has seen these monsters in action. He knows that this is no bluff.  
Slowly he raises his radio.  
"Spectre 1 for all Spectres. The operation is over. Retreat." he orders.  
Tactical for Spectre 1. What's going on?  
"Sir, we risk our lives if we stay here."  
You knew that before.  
Subject Two snarls and grabs the radio.  
"Very well. Then I will torture your men until they tell me your location." it hisses.  
The fox monster stares at Spectre 1.  
"Then I will kill each of your Spectre guys. And then I will come for you."  
Spectre 1 gulps. He is trapped on the roof. Besides, he wouldn't want to leave his buddy behind.  
"And when I come to you, I won't be alone. And this time, we won't hold back."  
The beast waits for a reaction.  
_Oh please please please!_ Spectre 1 prays.  
Very well. Tactical for all Spectres. Retreat.  
_Thankyouthankyouthankyou!_  
The yellow fox hands him his ammo clip.  
Then it disappears. And Spectre 1 faints.  
  
Finally the law has become official.  
Nobody had dared to attack the DigiDestined or the Tamers.  
Everything is back in order. Sort of.  
Gatomon sighs. The three days have been a torture for her.  
She could deal with the sleep deprivation. Nothing new here.  
But she could not come up with a way to deal with her feelings.  
_It'd just hurt everybody._ she thinks.  
_But it can't go on like that. I cannot stand it much longer._  
She is sure that nobody would understand her. Nobody.  
_It's just not right. I should be happy with Veemon or Patamon. But..._  
She wipes away a tear and shakes her head.  
_I'm sorry, Kari. But I don't know what else to do._  
Gatomon quietly closes the door to Kari's room and starts to write a last letter for Kari.  
_Tonight it'll be over._  



	14. Departure - forever?

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise  
Part 14  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  
Notes:  
Everything's dark, scary and hopeless.  
You know what that would mean in a TV series:  
Season ending and major cliffhanger! *mad laughter*  
And it will take half a year until the next season is filmed!  
Fortunately this is just my little fanfic.  
So it won't end with a cliffhanger (I hope), but it will end soon.  
  


* * *

  
Gatomon signs the letter with a sigh.  
"I'm sorry. But I'm doing this for all of you." she whispers.  
Then she covers her face with her paws and sobs.  
_I love her. It's a unique feeling. But I bet Hawkmon has stolen her heart long ago._  
She shakes her head as she remembers her dreams. In these dreams she had killed Yolei's partner.  
And then Renamon had told her that she didn't love Gatomon. Always.  
_Is this how Veemon feels? Competing with a rival? Fighting a hopeless battle?_  
Gatomon briefly wonders what keeps the lizard Digimon going.  
_Tsk. Love. What else. But he doesn't give up._ she observes.  
Then she realizes that Veemon has a stronger will than she has.  
_I'm such a weakling. Running from a challenge. But no. It's different here._  
Gatomon would show her true feelings. Even if Renamon would laugh at her.  
But doing so would disturb the friendship between Kari and their guests.  
Her dreams have always ended in a catastrophe.  
Ruki would yell at Kari, Kari kicks them out when she can't take it anymore.  
No. She wouldn't let it go that far.  
She puts the letter into an envelope and writes Kari's name on it.  
_Soon._  
  
Renamon's life should be perfect.  
Ruki has accepted her as a partner. She has digivolved. Hawkmon is in love with her.  
The couch she is sitting on is fluffy. There's a Ranma-Marathon on TV. And Ruki is petting her.  
_So why am I feeling so hollow?_ she asks herself.  
Of course she knows the answer.  
_You're in love. With the wrong Digimon._ her inner voice answers.  
Of course that's not completely true.  
Gatomon is not the wrong Digimon. She's perfect.  
But the circumstances couldn't have been worse.  
_What would Ruki and Kari say? God, what would Gatomon say?_  
She has had hints. Clues. But no proof of the cat's feelings for her.  
_I might be interpreting her actions completely wrong._ she tells herself.  
And she knows what would happen if she actually told Gatomon her feelings then.  
Renamon is afraid of being rejected. It would ruin everything.  
_But it doesn't feel that great to sit there doing nothing._ she dryly observes.  
She decides that time would tell.  
  
_What about Patamon? And Veemon?_ Gatomon's inner voice protests.  
"They'll understand." Gatomon whispers.  
She carefully places the envelope on Kari's pillow.  
_They won't understand._ the inner voice responds.  
"I'm not responsible for them." Gatomon hisses.  
_Chicken._ the voice mocks her.  
Gatomon closes her eyes, knowing that the voice is right.  
But it wouldn't be able to stop her.  
"Time to go." she tells herself and sighs.  
She approaches the door and fakes a perfect little-kitty-smile.  
Then she enters the living room.  
Kari, Ruki and Renamon are sitting on the couching, watching Ranma.  
"Uhhh... Kari? I'm out, getting some fresh air." she says.  
"Sure thing." Kari just replies, not even turning her head away from the screen.  
Gatomon walks towards the corridor.  
Then she turns around a last time and gasps. Renamon is watching her.  
"Ummm... Bye!" Gatomon shouts at her, waving her paw.  
The fox's eyes turn into narrow slits.  
"See you." she just replies.  
Gatomon gulps and heads towards the kitchen window.  
Once outside, she tries to beat her own record time to get to her destination.  
She chooses not to travel over the rooftops. Somebody might see her.  
Instead she runs through the streets as if somebody is chasing her.  
  
Renamon tries to analyse the recent events for some minutes.  
She knows that something is wrong, but she can't quite name it.  
Ruki's partner spends some minutes trying to see thing's from Gatomon's perspective.  
But that's hopeless. She had considered following Gatomon, but had rejected that idea.  
_Maybe I'll find something in their- GEEZ, WHAT AM I THINKING?_  
Renamon feels like a thief already. Finally she sighs.  
_Thief or no thief. I have to find some answers._ she decides.  
"I'll be right back."she whispers into Ruki's ear.  
Then she vanishes and reappears in Kari's room.  
Renamon would have made a fortune as a thief. Even without her power of transportation.  
She can move without making any noise. And her senses surpass those of any human.  
The fox shakes her head and quickly takes a look around.  
It takes her less than a second to notice the letter.  
Her paw moves towards the envelope, trmbling wildly.  
_If you back away now, nobody will ever know you've been here._ her consciousness tells her.  
She sighs and grabs the envelope. She opens it carefully and takes out the sheet of paper. 
    
    Dear Kari.
    When you are reading this, I will be long gone.
    It hurts me to tell you that I won't return to you.
    I have fallen in love with a very special Digimon.
    Unfortunately, I would ruin everything by admitting it.
    Normally I would keep my feelings down, but they're too strong.
    The last few days have been like hell. To say the least.
    So I have decided to end this life of misery.
    I really hope that you will understand me one day.
    Even if it sounds feeble-minded, I do this for your own good.
    I've failed you and I'm sorry for this. Please forgive me.
    Gatomon

Renamon grits her teeth to prevent herself from cursing loudly.  
_What should I do? What should I do?_ she asks herself.  
She reads the letter again. The message remains the same.  
_But suicide?_ she asks herself.  
Renamon bites her lower lip. In the background, she can hear Kari's analogue clock.  
Tick. Tack.  
Tick. Tack.  
_She's been away for more than ten minutes now._  
Tick. Tack.  
Tick. Tack.  
_She loves me._  
Tick.  
_And I love her._  
Tack.  
_Then why am I still standing here?_  
Ti-  
Renamon stuffs the letter into her glove.  
She'd follow Gatomon. Stop her. Tell her.  
Everything would be fine. She wouldn't forgive herself if she came too late.  
But she needs help. Renamon nods when she has worked out the small plan.  
-ck.  
  
"Ruki!" Renamon hisses as she appears in front of the girl.  
"What's the matter? Ranma's being chased by-" Ruki complains.  
Renamon grabs her shoulders and looks her directly into her eyes.  
"This is really important. I need you to slash a card for me. NOW!" she hisses.  
Ruki gulps, but nods as she takes out her card holder.  
Renamon quickly browses throught the cards and finally hands her one.  
"That one. Now. Don't ask, and don't follow me."  
Ruki blinks as Renamon disappears again.  
Still she does as she has been told and takes out her D-Arc.  
"Card slash - Hypersonic speed!" she yells as she drives the card through the D-Arc.  
  
Renamon is already running through the streets, following her nose.  
She has always been proud of her ability to sniff out Digimon.  
Now she is following Gatomon's scent.  
Finally she feels the added power rush through her body.  
And Renamon accelerates to her top speed.  
  
Ruki frowns as she stares at her D-Arc.  
She is watching a little timer, similar to a stopwatch.  
It's a detail that is unimportant during a fight. A gimmick.  
The timer indicates how long the effect of a card has been used.  
Some effects like Alias are one-time only, not triggering the timer.  
But upgrades are timed.  
"Why're you watching a dumb stopwatch?" Kari asks her.  
Ruki ignores her and watches the timer.  
_This can't be..._ she thinks.  
Finally the timer stops.  
"Holy..." she mutters and blinks.  
"Care to enlighten me?" Kari asks with a raised eyebrow.  
"It started before we got here. In our world." Ruki begins her story.  
"Renamon asked me if she could test herself. Of course I agreed, thinking of training.  
She took me to a velodrome. You know, where the indoor cycle races are held.  
I had to slash the same speed upgrade I just used. You've seen it in the park, remember?"  
Kari nods, remembering how Renamon had caught the unsuspecting Hawkmon.  
"Well, I slashed it, and Renamon ran. She made several laps in one minute. It was amazing.  
The whole track seemed to have a golden glow. I've been unable to pinpoint her location.  
She wanted to test her limits. To see how far she could push herself.  
After 62 seconds, Renamon skidded to a halt next to me and simply collapsed.  
I guess she expected me to catch her or something. However, back then I didn't even think of it.  
Renamon quickly recovered. She told me that she could have done a little more.  
But she wanted to stay able to fight. Her legs have been shaking as if they were made of rubber."  
Ruki blinks and shakes her head.  
"Wow. I'm impressed. But I don't see what-" Kari begins to protest.  
She stops talking when Ruki shows her the display of the D-Arc. 
    
    02:13

"You know, I'm actually worrying about her. She's tough, but is she really that tough?"  
Kari is unable to answer that question.  
"Should we look for her?" the DigiDestined finally asks.  
"No. She told me not to follow her. And I have learned to respect her wishes."  
Kari nods. Then she frowns.  
"What could have caused her to do this?" she asks Ruki.  
"I don't know." Ruki answers with a shrug.  
_I'm just wondering if she is still conscious._ she silently adds.  
Renamon had been barely able to walk after the velodrome incident.  
_Have you pushed yourself over the edge this time?_ she wonders and closes her eyes.  
  


* * *

  
Notes:  
I know you hate me, but I let this chapter end here.  
Is Gatomon still alive? Is Renamon still alive?  
Or will this fanfic end like Romeo and Juliet?  



	15. The Race

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise  
Part 15  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
One Minute.  
Renamon can remember that this has been her limit in the velodrome.  
She had stopped herself back then. You never know when a Digimon decides to materialize.  
That was what she had told Ruki. But she had stopped out of fear.  
She has read of athletes who had pushed themselves too far.  
The lucky ones ended in hospital. The unlucky ones... oh well.  
Renamon didn't plan to die during a stupid endurance test. One minute has been a good time.  
  
One minute, thirty seconds.  
Renamon's vision narrows. Everything seems to happen in a dark tunnel.  
The only thing that guides her is her powerful sense of smell.  
_Got to find her._ she tells herself.  
She wouldn't let Gatomon commit suicide. No way.  
  
One minute, fourty seconds.  
_What if I'm already too late?_ she briefly wonders.  
But she bans that thought.  
_Gatomon is still alive. She has to be._  
  
One minute, fifty seconds.  
The fox's body feels as if it is on fire.  
She can't really feel her legs anymore.  
But somehow she manages to keep moving.  
_Where am I?_ she wonders.  
  
Two minutes.  
_Have I pushed myself too far?_ Renamon asks herself.  
The feeling of heat is replaced by a sudden chill.  
Her legs feel numb. She guesses that something's wrong with her blood circulation.  
_Is that some sort of permanent damage?_  
Renamon decides to worry about that later.  
She can still run. And she has not arrived at her destination yet.  
That's all that counts.  
  
"So. This is it, I guess." Gatomon whispers.  
She is standing on the stone railing of an old bridge.  
The cat can hear the river five meters under her feet.  
She has spent the last few days trying to think of a good suicide plan.  
Some methods have been ruled out instantly.  
For example shooting herself. Ever tried to operate a pistol with claws?  
Jumping was also ruled out for quite obvious reasons.  
She finally decided to jump into the river.  
To ensure things, Gatomon has locked a heavy chain around her ankles.  
The chain is normally used to secure large ships. It should keep her under water long enough.  
_Just toss the stupid chain over the edge!_ she tells herself.  
She lifts up one end of the chain and sighs.  
  
Two minutes, ten seconds.  
Renamon can see her. Gatomon. Alive!  
She can see the chain that is wrapped around the cat's ankles.  
Gatomon seems to be determined to jump at any second.  
  
Two minutes, eleven seconds.  
Gatomon has dropped one end of the chain over the edge.  
_No! Only one chance!_  
The chain would pull the Champion Digimon down. Renamon can't help that.  
Renamon jumps at Gatomon and tosses her over the edge of the bridge.  
_But I can help her land safely!_  
She holds the surprised Digimon close and braces for the impact.  
  
Two minutes, twelve seconds.  
The two Digimon crash into the river bank.  
Then there is silence.  
  
Two minutes, thirteen seconds.  
Renamon exhales, letting go the power of Ruki's slash.  
She takes a look at Gatomon, who is lying next to her with closed eyes.  
The little cat is unconscious from the crash, Renamon can see her breathe.  
_Thank God._ she thinks.  
She notices the chain leading into the water. Thankfully, it's not moving.  
It's too heavy to be affected by the current. So Gatomon should be safe.  
Then her legs start to cramp, and Renamon screams as her whole body seems to explode.  
  
_I've heard that death came quickly, but that has been ridiculous._  
Gatomon has read about suicide on webpages, reports of people who had been revived.  
Some told of a tunnel, a white light, or something like that.  
Nobody had ever mentioned rapid acceleration. Maybe things worked differently for Digimon.  
Then she realizes that this feeling had started before she hit the water.  
In fact, she can't even remember getting wet.  
_Have I actually messed up jumping off a bridge? Have I missed the river?_  
Gatomon frowns and opens her eyes. It's still dark around her. She can hear the river.  
_Which means I'm definately alive._ she observes.  
She can feel that she is lying on muddy ground. The river bank maybe.  
The chain is still secured around her ankles, leading towards the sound of the river.  
_That's impossible!_ Gatomon tells herself.  
Then she hears somebody breathing next to her and turns her head.  
"Renamon?" she asks in surprise when she sees the fox lying next to her.  
"I guess so." Renamon answers with a smile.  
"Are you out of your mind?" Gatomon snaps.  
She has no idea what the fox had done or how she had done it. But that doesn't matter.  
"I'd say the opposite is the case." Renamon mutters.  
Gatomon just curses. So much for her great plan. No everything would be ruined.  
Kari would scold her for trying to kill herself. Then Renamon would laugh at her.  
Then Ruki would get mad. Then. Then. Then.  
"I have to tell you two things, Gatomon. First of all, I love you."  
Gatomon freezes when she hears these words. She looks at Renamon.  
"What?" she whispers in surprise.  
"If I could move a muscle, I'd hug you. But so I just have to say it. I love you."  
Renamon looks sincere enough for Gatomon to believe these words.  
"Really?" she finally asks happily, jumping at Renamon.  
Her graceful jump is shortened by the chain wrapped around her ankles.  
Gatomon hits the ground inches from Renamon away, but that doesn't change her mood.  
_She... loves me! She really does! And I almost... Oh God!_  
"Oh Renamon!" she simply cries, her tears of joy flowing freely.  
"By the way, your suicide note stinks. Good thing Kari never saw it."  
As if to emphasize her words, Renamon presents her the letter.  
"She didn't...?" Gatomon gasps.  
"Nobody knows of your foolish act." the fox confirms her thoughts with a smile.  
"You're the greatest. Then I can finally say it freely: I love you, too." the cat admits.  
Renamon sighs happily.  
"How comes you can't move?" Gatomon asks after a while.  
"Long story." Renamon mutters with a sigh.  
"Well, we're not really going anywhere soon, right?"  
Both Digimon snicker.  
  
It takes Renamon another quarter hour before she can stand on shaky legs again.  
Now she has finally a chance to examine the chain pinning Gatomon to the ground.  
"Where'd you get a padlock of that size?" she finally asks.  
"From the boat house." Gatomon admits.  
"Oh well. Keys?"  
Gatomon laughs nervously and points at the river.  
"You threw the keys into the river." Renamon observes flatly.  
"I wanted to make my decision final. I wouldn't have needed them anymore."  
Renamon sighs and shakes her head.  
"OK. I've got an idea. Don't wander off, okay?" she tells Gatomon.  
"Funny. Really funny." Gatomon mutters.  
Snickering softly, Renamon disappears.  
  
Ruki paces through the apartment, biting her lower lip.  
She is torn between curiosity and her promise not to follow Renamon.  
_I don'teven have an idea why she wanted me to slash the card!_  
This wouldn't have been possible a week before.  
Before her Date with Davis, she would have asked about Renamon's motivation.  
But a lot has happened since then. And Ruki has learned to trust her partner.  
"Ruki."  
Ruki jumps when she hears the voice of her partner.  
She whirls around to face... nobody.  
"Sorry, I don't want to mess up the carpet. But I need you to slash another card."  
Ruki frowns. Then she sees that Kari is also frowning.  
"Are you all right, Ruki?" the DigiDestined asks.  
"another card? Please tell me what's-" Ruki whispers, nodding at Kari.  
She knows that Kari can't hear Renamon in this state.  
Renamon usually used this method to inform Ruki of things when she has been on the streets.  
"I'll explain it later. Please." Renamon begs.  
"What if I refuse?" Ruki asks boldly.  
Renamon is her partner, and partners should talk things out.  
"If you refuse, I'll tell Kari what kind of aftershave Davis uses."  
Ruki gasps when she realizes what Renamon is hinting at.  
_She's blackmailing me! On the other hand, she has done me many favors. Oh well._  
She browses through her cards and picks the one Renamon wants her to use.  
"Card slash - Heavy Metal!"  
"Thanks. See you soon!"  
"Uhhh... OK." Ruki mutters, sensing that Renamon is gone again.  
"Ruki? Are you sure you're all right?" Kari asks, cocking her head.  
  
Gatomon covers her face when Renamon uses the impact hammer on the padlock.  
When she looks again, the lock is... gone.  
Renamon carefully frees her ankles and lets the weapon disappear.  
When Gatomon can move again, she finally jumps at her love and hugs her.  
"I love you." she whispers into the fox's ear.  
Everything would be fine. Gatomon is sure about it.  
The she realize that Renamon is holding her just like she had been holding Veemon on the photo.  
She gazes into the fox's blue eyes and slowly moves closer.  
Closer.  
Closer.  
"Yuck." Renamon suddenly mutters.  
Gatomon blinks in surprise.  
"Excuse me?" she asks, ears lying flatly on her head.  
"Your face is covered with mud." Renamon remarks.  
"Hm. However did that happen? Oh, I know. You shoved me into the mud!" Gatomon hisses.  
"Well, I'd still call it life-saving." Renamon chuckles.  
The fox gently places her on the ground again.  
"The park shouldn't be too far away." Renamon muses.  
"Thinking about a midnight bath?" Gatomon purrs, wrapping her tail around Renamon's leg.  
"Maybe." Renamon replies, giving her a grin.  
  
"Let go!" Ruki barks.  
"Come on, you need some rest!" Kari hisses.  
"Renamon talked to me!"  
"Yeah. Right. And Gatomon talks to me the whole time."  
"I mean it! Really!" Ruki protests.  
"You're suffering from the stress."  
"I'll show you stress in a minute!"  



	16. Finale

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise  
Part 16  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
It's almost midnight when the two Digimon arrive at the pond in the park.  
They have taken their time, having slowly walked through the city.  
Neither of them has spoken much. There simply wasn't the need to do so.  
Renamon does a quick scan of their surroundings.  
It surprises her that they are the only ones near the pond.  
"Well, hop in." Renamon encourages her love.  
"I think I'll just wash my face. After all, the water's pretty-"  
Gatomon has leaned over the edge of the pond to get some water on her paws.  
She quickly shivers as her paws enter the water.  
"-COLD." she finishes her sentence.  
"Oh. Hm." Renamon just mutters, standing idly next to the cat.  
"Yeah. I'll just do some-"  
Gatomon would have continued, but Renamon has already shoved her into the water with one foot.  
The vulpine Digimon grins as the cat flies into the pond with a loud hiss.  
After some seconds, she frowns.  
_I just hope that I didn't get the only Champion who can't swim._  
Just as she starts to worry, she can feel something at her leg.  
"What the-" she mutters and looks down.  
_Hey, that looks just like Gatomon's tail._ she observes.  
Before Renamon can react, she is pulled into pond.  
_Geez, her tail is almost as strong as the rest of her!_  
Then Renamon realizes something else.  
_The water really is COLD!_  
When her head emerges from the pond, she gasps.  
Then she can see Gatomon swimming next to her.  
"I told you the water is cold." the cat mutters with a satisfied grin.  
"You didn't have to pull me in, too."  
"Oh really? You kicked me in first!"  
"So what? Know how stupid I look when my fur is wet?" Renamon snaps.  
Gatomon swims towards her with a smile.  
"Tsk. You look perfect." the cat Digimon purrs as she hugs the fox.  
  
Gatomon snuggles against Renamon while they're sitting on a lone bench.  
Both Digimon are more or less dry by now (Gatomon more, Renamon less).  
"Rena?" Gatomon suddenly asks.  
"What is it?" Renamon asks back.  
"I just wondered how the others will react to our relationship."  
Renamon places a paw on Gatomon's shoulder and pulls her even closer.  
"Kari and Ruki will most probably be happy for us." Renamon guesses.  
"Hm. But what about Patamon? Veemon? Hawkmon? Did I miss any admirers?"  
Renamon snickers when she hears that.  
"It'll take some time before they accept it." the vulpine Digimon then answers.  
"Right. Let's just hope for the best."  
  
Kari yawns as she exits her room.  
It's very early in the morning, and Kari knows that Tai and their parents are in the DigiWorld.  
Camping. Kari still can't believe it.  
She'd prepare breakfast. Gatomon hadn't returned that night.  
But that had happened before. The cat would probably return in the morning.  
Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Kari nods as she passes the unmoving Ruki.  
Then she freezes. She hadn't even noticed the other girl.  
Ruki still doesn't move. She simply stares into the living room.  
Kari frowns and takes a look, too. She can see Gatomon, sleeping on the couch.  
The cat is resting on their large yellow pillow.  
_Wait a second. We don't have a large yellow pillow!_  
It takes her a few seconds to identify the mysterious pillow.  
_That's Renamon! She's curled up around Gatomon!_ Kari realizes suddenly.  
_Does that mean that... they...? No. No. Tsk, Gatomon would laugh if I told her that._  
Kari shakes her head and pours herself a glass of orange juice.  
_They're just friends. The living room is cold. And they just warm each other. Yeah._  
Kari joins Ruki again, who is still staring.  
_That doesn't mean anything. Just close friends helping each other._ Kari convinces herself.  
Still, the image does look quite... interesting.  
Kari suddenly feels like a pervert, spying on the sleeping Digimon.  
_Geez, snap out of it. They're Digimon. I bet they don't see it as we do._  
She is idly holding the glass in her hand while she watches the two Digimon.  
Then, the half-sleeping Renamon nuzzles Gatomon gently, making the cat purr.  
_Just friends. Just friends._ Kari tells herself.  
"I love you." Renamon whispers.  
"I love you, too." Gatomon answers.  
The next thing Kari hears is the sound of her glass shattering on the floor.  
  
Life in the DigiWorld has been hard. Survival depended on skill and caution.  
Renamon has learnt her lessons until they became part of her reflexes.  
A sleeping enemy is an easy target. But Renamon had no interest dying during a nap.  
So she has learnt to rely on her senses. Especially on her sense of hearing.  
In the real world, she had to set new tolerance levels.  
She'd never forget Ruki's face during the first night.  
Renamon has fallen asleep in Ruki's room, and the girl had sneezed.  
The fox Digimon has instantly leapt away - through the closed door and straight into the pond.  
Renamon's brain came online during her flight, the leap had been a pure reflex.  
By now, Ruki could allow herself to sneeze without risking property damage.  
But some sounds are too alarming and still trigger this reflex.  
Shattering glass for example.  
  
Ruki has watched the scene in front of her for some minutes now.  
She had noticed Kari next to her, but ignored the girl.  
_Renamon is snuggling against Gatomon._ she simply thought.  
Renamon had once tried to snuggle against her this way.  
The Digimon had told her that she loved Ruki.  
Of course, Ruki had slapped Renamon's face for that remark.  
She had been the Digimon Queen back then. Renamon has suffered much during this time.  
Ruki reminds herself to apologize for her behaviour later.  
_Renamon loves Gatomon. I know that happy expression on her face._  
Seconds later, Renamon had proved her guess to be correct.  
A split second later, a glass hits the floor next to her.  
Even while Ruki's brain realizes that the glass has shattered, Renamon is on her feet.  
_Oh no! Could it-_  
*THUMP*  
Ruki flinches when Renamon hits the wall face-first.  
*thump*  
Renamon's body hits the floor.  
Ruki snickers when she sees that Gatomon is still rotating in mid-air.  
The cat Digimon has been tossed up when Renamon made her grand escape.  
_I really hate this reflex._ Ruki tells herself, remembering the famous first night.  
  
The first thing Renamon saw this morning has been the wall coming closer.  
Before she could even ask herself what has happened, the wall hit her.  
On her way towards the floor, Renamon realized that she had been acting on that reflex again.  
_But the Kamiya's walls are solid._ she observes dryly.  
  
While Gatomon helps Renamon back to her feet, Ruki briefly explains why the fox had kissed the wall.  
The eigth DigiDestined stays silent for a long time.  
Ruki notices Renamon and Gatomon frown.  
"So you two are really in love?" Kari finally asks.  
Both Digimon nod in unison.  
"Well, I'm happy if you're happy." Gatomon's partner then says with a smile.  
Ruki nods. She likes to see her partner happy.  
"Guess I'll have to get used to sleeping alone again." she mutters.  
"Not if you'd be a little bolder with Davis." Renamon remarks with a grin.  
"Watch it." Ruki hisses.  
"Why? I didn't even mention the good parts." the fox answers innocently.  
"Well Ruki, if you two ever need some privacy, I can keep Renamon... occupied."  
Everybody blushes and gasps after hearing Gatomon's comment.  
"Well... It seems as if you need some privacy yourself." Ruki tries to counter.  
Gatomon just snuggles against Renamon and smiles.  
"Nah. We already spent a lovely night in the park." she whispers.  
Staring at the Digimon, Ruki doesn't even see Kari pass out.  
  
"Hey T.K., it's me, Gatomon. Could I talk to Patamon please?"  
Renamon leans against a wall and waits. Ruki is sitting on the couch, watching her.  
"What're you going to tell them?" Ruki whispers.  
Renamon just shrugs.  
"You can't practice these things." the fox Digimon whispers back.  
Both look at Gatomon, who is still at the phone.  
"I have to see you. ... No. At Davis' place. ... You could? Thanks."  
Gatomon hangs up and dials Davis' number.  
"I think she has the harder part. Having two admirers and all." Renamon sighs.  
"And she knew them a long time." Ruki adds with a frown.  
A minute later, Gatomon has talked to Veemon.  
"I'll be going now." the cat sighs.  
"Should I come with you?" Renamon offers.  
Gatomon frowns and sighs.  
"No. I think I'll tell alone." she finally decides.  
"OK. When I'm done with Hawkmon, I'll stay in calling distance." Renamon replies.  
Gatomon gives her a puzled look.  
"You'll know soon enough. Now go, I didn't want to spend the whole day with this."  
Both Digimon grin, making Ruki groan.  
"Hey, I've got an idea. Ruki, could you come with me?" Gatomon suddenly asks.  
Ruki raises an eyebrow.  
"You could keep Davis out of the way. Things are complicated enough already."  
"Of course!" Ruki instantly cheers, then blushes.  
"I... I mean... I'll do anything to help you." she tries to correct her quick response.  
The Digimon just snicker.  
"Well, then you two go, I'll leave a note for Kari." Renamon tells them.  
Ten minutes later, Renamon is standing at the Inoue apartment.  
She rings the doorbell and sighs. Hawkmon would be hurt.  
  
Davis opens the door and instantly switches to happy-zombie-mode.  
"Ruki... come in please!" he whispers with a smile.  
"Hey Davis. Is Veemon in your room?" Gatomon asks.  
"How was your day? I really missed you..." Davis tells Ruki.  
Gatomon just sighs and walks past the oblivious boy.  
"Could you keep Davis-" she starts to address Ruki and turns around.  
She gasps when she sees Ruki already kissing Davis.  
_Oh my. She should give Kari a few tips..._ Gatomon tells herself.  
Then she enters Davis' room and is greeted be her two male admirers.  
Patamon and Veemon are bickering as usual.  
"Mornin' you two." she greets them, causing the fight to end instantly.  
"Gatomon!" both of them cheer.  
Then they notice the cat's expression and gulp.  
"Good news or bad news?" Patamon asks, with a frown.  
"That depends. For me, the news couldn't be better."  
Veemon keeps frowning while Patamon almost smiles.  
"So... You have decided, right?" Veemon asks with a sad expression.  
Gatomon just sighs and nods.  
"And who did you choose?" Patamon asks, his wing-like ears flapping lightly.  
Gatomon has played this scenario a thousand times in her mind.  
And although her prediction has almost caused a tragedy once, she trusts it.  
In the end she has decided to be direct. Tell them how things are.  
She sighs and closes her eyes.  
"Renamon." she answers.  
  
"Oh." Hawkmon mutters, his eyes fixed on something a lightyear away.  
Renamon bites her lower lip. The Digimon are sitting on the couch in silence.  
Yolei has gone shopping, sensing that the Digimon needed privacy.  
Renamon silently praises Hawkmon for reacting this way.  
She is sure that other Digimon would have yelled at her.  
Or weeped. Or something. But Hawkmon just seems to be lost in thoughts.  
"Did I... disturb you or something?" the bird Digimon then asks.  
Renamon gives him a puzzled look.  
"I mean... When I told you I love you, were you and Gatomon already...?"  
"No. Or rather: Not really. We admitted our love for each other last night."  
Hawkmon seems glad to hear that.  
"Then I didn't get you into any trouble." Hawkmon sighs.  
_He's actually worrying about me?_  
"I must say, you're the politest Digimon I've ever met." Renamon marvels.  
Hawkmon manages to smile.  
"Thanks. But what about the others? I mean Patamon and Veemon."  
"Gatomon is currently telling them." Renamon replies with a frown.  
"Maybe you should be there, too. They can be quite hot-headed."  
Renamon quickly looks out of the window, then sighs.  
"Don't worry about me. I just need some time to get over it." Hawkmon assures her.  
"Thanks. You're the best." Renamon tells him and vanishes.  
  
Gatomon feels like clawing the two Digimon's eyes out.  
Veemon and Patamon are wildly talking, unable to sort their thoughts.  
Patamon does most of the talking, being obviously disappointed by her choice.  
_Why can't they just accept it?_ she asks herself.  
_"If you need me, just say so."_ she suddenly hears Renamon's voice in her head.  
"Not yet." Gatomon whispers.  
_"Hawkmon has been right. They really are hot-headed."_  
The cat Digimon just sighs.  
A few minutes later, the Digimon are too exhausted to continue.  
Gatomon is startled to see that Veemon is actually smiling.  
"What's so darn funny?" Patamon asks the blue lizard sharply.  
"Well, I figured long ago that I wouldn't win this fight. I could see it in her eyes."  
Gatomon blushes when she hears that.  
"But-but-but-" Patamon stammers, his wings flapping wildly.  
"Admit it, man. She likes both of us. But she loves somebody else." Veemon says with a shrug.  
Patamon's ears stop flapping as the small Digimon sighs.  
"Yeah. I feared that this might happen. But I always thought that-"  
"I know. We've been close friends for a long time." Gatomon sighs.  
Finally, Patamon snickers, too.  
"Well, at least I didn't lose against you." he tells Veemon.  
"Dito here. Hey, that means we could quit being rivals!" Veemon answers.  
Gatomon quietly exits the room while the two Digimon start becoming friends.  
  
"That went well." Renamon mutters as Gatomon comes out of the room.  
The fox Digimon is leaning against one wall, as if having waited there.  
"I hope it stays like this. How did Hawkmon react?"  
"Polite. Like a true gentleman."  
Renamon kneels next to the cat and holds her.  
"Everything is fine. We did what we could." she assures the Champion Digimon.  
"Yeah, you're right. Let's go home. Where's Ruki?"  
"In Davis' room." Renamon just replies.  
"Oh. Hey, that means that her room is empty!"  
"You really have a one-track mind." Renamon snickers.  
"Hey, I'm a Digimon in love!"  
  
  
The End.  
  


* * *

  
Final notes:  
The next chapter contains some behind-the-scenes stuff, author's notes and so on.  
Nothing major, but interesting if you want to see how I originally imagined it to be.  
Thanks to all the reviewers, I'm glad that some people had a good time reading this.  
  
Christian "Sid" Lang  



	17. Bonus Materials

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise  
Bonus Materials  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
Heya!  
I've decided to include some behind-the-scenes stuff here.  
Some words on the original idea, and how it became this little soap opera ;)  
  
_**The idea**_  
This whole fanfic has been based on a single idea:  
Renamon's race to save her beloved. Period.  
Gatomon fit perfectly into the role of the unhappy admirer.  
She has been portrayed as a character with a sad past in 01. And they do make a nice couple. *G*  
That also meant that the fic had to be crossover of some kind.  
I have thought that this story would be five, maybe six chapters long.  
Somehow things didn't work out that way...  
  
_**Plot changes**_  
This fanfic has had some plot changes I originally didn't plan.  
For example the mysterious guys on the roof.  
I originally did plan to let them be nice government guys. Really.  
Digifan's comment triggered the nice subplot that helped Ruki and Renamon get along.  
But the real problems began when Renamon has been asked to 'date' Veemon. ;)  
Jodan has done an interesting re-write of the scene that followed.  
It reminded me that Veemon might be more than the retarded coward I imagined him to be.  
God only knows what had then driven me to do the Renamon-kisses-Veemon scene.  
The whole Hawkmon-in-love stuff fortunately had a solid basis.  
Of course I hadn't planned that when I wrote the Renamon-chases-Hawkmon scene.  
It's really interesting how stuff like this can happen...  
The Ruki-Davis romance... well... sleep deprivation can lead to interesting results... ;)  
Thankfully, Renamon's romantic adventures gave Gatomon the perfect motive for her attempted suicide.  
So in the end, the story has become much better thanks to all the reviewers!  
  
_**Most deaths in this fanfic**_  
So, who died the most times in Tamers: Stuck in Paradise?  
OK, that may sound quite weird...  
Let me explain it: While writing this fic, there have been... plot accidents.  
For example, some characters actually died. At least they did until I rewrote that part.  
So, who has (almost) died the most times?  
  
**Veemon: 5 deaths**  
Sorry, Jodan. But Veemon almost became the Kenny of Digimon...  
The first time would have been during his 'date' with Renamon.  
You guessed it: Right after he prompted her to kiss him.  
Yeah, Renamon reacted a bit more... impulsive and... well... Ouch.  
The second time, he got killed by Hawkmon the next morning.  
During the re-write of that part, he got killed by Gatomon.  
That would have lead to the question of her motive...  
Jealous that he kissed another girl? Or jealous because he kissed her true love?  
He then died during the meeting with Gatomon while everybody's been dating (Chapter 10).  
Well, in fact, not during but before the meeting:  
He got buried under the tree Gatomon has cut. Yeah, that would have kinda sucked...  
But it was worth a laugh or two while I imagined that scene... ^_^  
A much better way to die would have been during the fight with the troopers.  
After having crushed the tanks, he would have been gunned down by the helicopters.  
It would have been a very tragic and heroic death. In fact the whole scene would have been different.  
He would have ordered everybody but Renamon to follow the van.  
Then the helicopters would have come, and there would have been a neat showdown.  
Flamedramon would have been hit while pushing Renamon out of the line of fire. *sigh*  
Then he would have died in her arms, asking her to tell Gatomon he has always loved her.  
  
**Renamon: 4 deaths**  
Yep, poor Renamon also died a few times.  
The first had been during her first fight with Gatomon.  
Then I realized that this would have made a Rena/Gato romance kinda difficult.  
The next time had been when Ruki had seen the newspaper after the 'date' with Veemon.  
Instead of the paper, she slapped Renamon with the Japanese Yellowpages. Broken neck, end of story.  
Her first really tragic death would have been during Hawkmon's fight with Veemon.  
The last Feather Strike had been aimed for Veemon's heart, but Renamon threw herself into its path.  
Yep, very sad, famous last words, dying in Veemon's arms.  
Then Gatomon would have slashed Hawkmon and would have done the bridge-jumping.  
Renamon's most tragic death would have been during Gatomon's attempted suicide.  
Gatomon had already jumped and Renamon dived in after her.  
She managed to free Gatomon, but drowned when her legs failed after the long race.  
That would have been the ultimate tragedy overkill, leaving Gatomon crying at the river bank.  
  
_**What about Takato, Lee, and their Digimon?**_  
The only real flaw of the story.  
If I could do Chapter One again, I'd leave them out completely.  
I did have plans for them, but after the plot changes, there simply wasn't enough room for them.  
Instead I concentrated on the Kamiya houshold.  
There has been the plan to feature Guilmon and Terriermon during the attack of the troopers.  
But since the fight wasn't really a big plot element, I shortened it somewhat.  
  
_**Stuck in Paradise, Season 2?**_  
Maybe, but it won't be my next story. Maybe the story after that...  
Of course, there are more than enough possible plots. ;)  
Write me if you really would like to see a sequel! (sid@liao.de)  
  
_**The author would like to thank...**_  
Jodan, for giving my Veemon his spine back. ;)  
Digifan, for pointing out that the guys on the roof might not be working for the government.  
Riderfan, for the suggestion of a Flamedramon/Renamon romance.  
(It didn't happen here, but there might be moments in other stories!)  
All those reviewers who actually read and reviewed all these chapters!  
  



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